Srinagar, 11 June (H.S.): PDP leader Waheed Para said the Omar Abdullah government should make public the report of the Cabinet sub-committee on reservations in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the intentions of the government were under question.

“Students are demanding answers, not delays. Why hold back the Cabinet committee report on merit? After your govt’s adverse stand on merit in court, intentions not actions are under question.

“After six years of an unelected government, the least people deserve from it is transparency. Make the report public,” Para posted on X.

The PDP leader was reacting to J-K minister Sakina Ittoo’s post, in which she said the Cabinet sub-committee has completed its report and will submit it when the council of ministers meets next.

“Jammu and Kashmir is a conflict-ridden region burdened with decades of trauma, depression and the highest unemployment rate in India. Sixty-five per cent of its population is youth, who are struggling between hopelessness and dreams of a better future.

“As a border state with immense strategic importance, our youngsters are not just an opportunity but also a challenge if ignored,” Para said.

He added that amid fragile peace, terror threats and cross-border skirmishes, the youth of Kashmir have chosen the path of competing on merit.

“They want to be doctors, engineers, civil servants, and builders of a better tomorrow, which is perhaps the best thing that can happen to any nation.

“Yet, the biggest hurdle to their dreams is not violence but the systematic embargo on merit. The only region in the country where youth are punished for being meritorious is sadly J-K,” Para claimed.

The MLA from Pulwama also said that reservation was important to uplift the downtrodden, but it cannot, under any circumstances, come at the cost of merit.

“That’s precisely why we’ve been demanding pro-rata rationalisation of reservation,” Para added.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah may not have created “the monster of this flawed reservation policy but it was your party, your MLAs, and your parliamentarians who promised its correction”, he said.

“With an absolute mandate of 50 seats in a region where 70 per cent depend on merit, what exactly are you waiting for? Which business rule, which statehood, which sub-committee is stopping you? It’s a shame that a party whose founder stood for autonomy cannot even stand for merit today,” Para said.

The PDP leader also said that if leaders cannot unite for the youth and the principle of fairness, “what future are we talking about? Let merit lead”.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar