SRINAGAR, SEPT 16: Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone has criticised the government over the regional representation in the latest selection of officers to the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) and J&K Accounts (Gazetted) Service, alleging that the existing reservation framework was contributing to the marginalisation of candidates from the Kashmir Valley.
In a post on X ahead of the upcoming Legislative Assembly session, Lone said that out of 55 candidates selected for the two services, only 10 were from Kashmir.“So against a population ratio of 56%, inhabitants of Kashmir have got 18% of the jobs,” Lone said, describing the recruitment pattern as “recruitment apartheid”.
Lone also questioned the participation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the distribution of appointment orders, saying that the Chief Minister should ideally have kept away from the process.
The Peoples Conference chief further argued that the reservation changes recommended by the elected government would not substantially alter the regional representation in government recruitment.
He claimed that even if the proposal sent by the government to the Union government is approved, Kashmir’s share would increase only marginally.
“This Kashmir region’s 56% vs 18% recruitment figure will not be changed if the so-called file sent by the elected government to the Union government is approved. At best, it will increase to 19%, against 56% population,” Lone said.
He said the issue would be raised in the Legislative Assembly through appropriate legislative mechanisms and called upon political parties to come together to debate the reservation system and its impact.
“I wish and hope that we together, across party lines, are able to highlight the severity of this issue,” Lone said, urging legislators to discuss the matter openly and unambiguously during the Assembly session.
The latest appointments have brought the reservation policy and regional representation in public employment back into political focus ahead of the Assembly session, with Lone seeking a detailed discussion on the framework and its implications for candidates from different regions and categories.
