"Out of 60% reservation, 50.78 goes to Jammu, 9.22 to Kashmir"
Srinagar, March 15 (KNS): People's Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone has raised serious concerns over the reservation system in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that it is unfairly affecting the Kashmiri-speaking population. Speaking at a press conference, Lone said that while his party is not against reservations, the current system is harming merit and creating regional imbalances.
Lone highlighted major differences in the issuance of category certificates between Jammu and Kashmir. As per official data, Jammu issued 459,493 Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates, making up 85.3% of the total, while Kashmir issued only 79,813 (14.7%). In the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category, Jammu accounted for 92.3% of certificates, while Kashmir issued only 7.7%. The disparity was even greater in the Actual Line of Control (ALC) category, where Jammu issued 94.3% of the certificates, and Kashmir only 5.7%.
Lone further pointed out that even the ST population in Kashmir is at a disadvantage, as it forms only 15% of the total ST applicants. He claimed that the entire reservation system is designed in a way that negatively impacts Kashmiri-speaking people and marginalized communities in Kashmir.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
"The biggest culprits in this system are Kashmiri officers themselves. I don't know whether they are deliberately not issuing these certificates or it is the policy," Lone said. He stressed that Kashmiris are already left out even before reservation policies are applied. "If 100 aspirants appear in an exam, 40 seats are for open merit. But even in those, 50.78% of candidates are from Jammu, while only 9.22% are from Kashmir. This means Kashmiris are already pushed out before reservations are applied," he explained.
Lone also criticized the delay in addressing these concerns. He reminded that the National Conference (NC) had earlier tweeted that the Reservation Committee would submit its report within six months. However, the government recently informed the Assembly that there is no set timeline for the report.
He urged the authorities to take urgent steps to fix the reservation system and ensure fairness so that no region or community is unfairly sidelined. (KNS)