“Govt is ‘Passing on the Buck’ & ‘Pitting one Kashmiri against another’: Sajad Lone on Reservation Issue

Srinagar: J&K Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Wednesday asserted that the NC-led government is not only evading accountability on the reservations issue but is also actively aggravating internal fissures within Kashmiri society by shifting responsibility instead of addressing the core concerns.

In a statement issued on social media, Lone said he would “reiterate that in the context of the reservations issue, the elected government is passing on the buck” and highlighted that those in power were “trying to create a wedge in the Kashmiri ranks and pit one Kashmiri against the other.”

Calling the government’s hesitation unjustified, he stressed that “the elected government can easily restore district and divisional recruitment through an act in the Assembly.” PC President then posed a pointed question: “Please can someone enlighten me—what are the disadvantages of district and divisional recruitment? Why are we not restoring them?”

Lone listed what he termed the clear advantages of restoring district and divisional recruitment. He said, “In a developing economy as ours, public sector jobs get spread out across all regions, bringing regional inclusivity in jobs.” He added that under such a system, “reservations get restricted to only those reserved categories who are domiciled in the district or division,” which in turn “will bring open merit in Kashmir division to 70 to 80 percent.”

Expressing concern over reports of changes to the reservation structure, he warned: “If what has been stated so far… is true, the only reserved category where Kashmiris benefitted — the RBA — will be slashed.” He said he “failed to understand how that helps Kashmir,” arguing that “the basic reservation problem… would mean the systematic exclusion of Kashmiris in the recruitment process.”

Lone accused the government of repeating the same injustice under a new guise. “You are yet again doing the same but only changing the excluded Kashmiri. So if a Kashmiri named A was earlier excluded, you have substituted it with a Kashmiri called B.”

He placed the issue in broader perspective, stating that “the problem lies between Jammu and Kashmir with the dice loaded heavily in favour of Jammu,” and cautioned that “the ratio will remain unchanged. Eighty percent reservations will still go to Jammu.”

Urging people to examine the numbers themselves, PC President said, “Please take a pen and paper and do some calculations. The data is available in the answer that was provided by the government in response to my question on reservations.”

Lone maintained that the government owes Kashmiris clarity, honesty and legislative action rather than projecting diversion and division.