SRINAGAR (Kashmir English): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), open merit students have expressed deep disappointment over the Omar Abdullah-led administration’s move to refer the long-awaited reservation report to the Law Department instead of implementing or even debating it, saying they feel “betrayed, not just politically, but emotionally.”
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a strongly-worded open letter to Omar Abdullah, a group of students, who belong to the general category, reminded him of his clear assurance given on December 23, 2024 that the reservation policy issue would be resolved within six months.
“You said it clearly, not vaguely. And we believed you. So, we waited,” the letter said.
The students wrote that the six-month deadline ended on June 10 with no action, public statement, or access to the report. “Instead of implementing or even debating the report, your government quietly sent it to the Law Department,” they said, questioning the timing.
“If legal opinion was necessary, why was not it sought during the drafting process?”
Students criticize the move
The students criticized the move as a delaying tactic and said that their attempts to engage with the government have been met with silence.
“We feel betrayed—not just politically, but emotionally. We never asked for favouritism. We asked for fairness. And we asked you to honour your own word.”
The students warned that continued inaction would send a damaging message to the youth of occupied Kashmir that “political promises mean nothing.”
Student rights activists echoed similar concerns, calling the move “strategic deception”.
“This is no longer just bureaucratic lethargy — it is strategic deception. The government had ample time, a full-fledged committee, and mass public support to do what was right, yet it chose to push the matter further by sending the report to the Law Department. This is nothing but a time-buying tactic,” they said.
Notably, the revised reservation policy introduced by the New Delhi-appointed Lieutenant Governor slashes open merit (general category) seats from 57% to just 33%, while doubling Scheduled Tribe (ST) quotas from 10% to 20%. Critics say the move blatantly undermines merit and fairness, adding that the BJP is using reservation as a political tool to appease select groups and consolidate its vote bank in IIOJK.
