People belonging to the general category in Jammu and Kashmir have raised strong objections to the region’s reservation policy, alleging discrimination in government job recruitment.
They claim that despite forming 70 per cent of the Union Territory’s population, they receive less than 40 per cent of the available posts.
The issue triggered a heated debate in the assembly, with several members accusing the government of undermining merit through an “imbalanced” reservation policy. Many argued that deserving candidates are being deprived of opportunities.
Peoples Conference chief and MLA Sajad Lone said that reservations were a big disaster in Jammu and Kashmir, claiming they were killing merit and denying job opportunities to deserving candidates. He questioned why everything was shrouded in secrecy.
Lone further raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the process, asking why the government was not sharing information. He said that while he understood such practices might have occurred during central rule, it was baffling that they continued even when there were elected leaders.
The controversy deepened after the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet, two weeks ago, approved a report by a sub-committee reviewing existing reservations. However, no decision has been announced yet, and the report has not been made public.
Many are questioning why the government has delayed forwarding the cabinet’s decision to the Lieutenant Governor for approval. The National Conference, which returned to power in October 2024 under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, has promised to make the report public and ensure fairness.
NC spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said that the chief minister was committed to making the report public and that he believed it was almost ready. He added that after receiving approval from the law department, the report would be sent to the Lieutenant Governor for final approval. Sadiq assured that no one’s share would be taken away and that the government would ensure everyone received their due.
The National Conference had pledged in its election manifesto to review the reservation system. However, the issue has now emerged as one of the most complex challenges for the new government. Reducing or removing reservations for any category is politically sensitive, yet ignoring the general category majority is equally difficult.
Since Jammu and Kashmir lost its special status under Article 370 in 2019 and became a Union Territory, major policy changes have been introduced, including revisions in reservation rules.
In March last year, the Centre granted Scheduled Tribe status to Pahari-speaking people and groups like Paddari, Koli, and Gadda Brahmins. Earlier, only the Gujjar and Bakerwal tribes were recognised under the ST category with a 10 per cent reservation. After the inclusion of new groups, the quota for STs increased to 20 per cent.
With the addition of reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), the overall quota in government jobs now exceeds 60 per cent.