J&K MLAs condemn 18% representation in Kashmir Valley in UT officer list

Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC) President Sajad Lone. File | Photo Credit: S. Irfan Ahmad

J&K Peoples Conference (JKPC) chief Sajad Lone and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Muntazir Mehdi on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) said that Kashmir division officers have only 18% representation in the latest list of senior officers in the Union Territory, which he termed as “recruitment apartheid”.

J&K CM Omar Abdullah on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) issued appointment orders to 55 newly selected candidates of the combined competitive examination who joined Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service and Jammu and Kashmir Accounts (Gazetted) for Srinagar post. The newly appointed officers included 28 junior officers and 27 accountants.

Reservation is a Jammu-versus-Kashmir issue rooted in the ethnic disempowerment of the valley’s people, Mr. Lone said, adding that “the recruitment figure in this Kashmir region of 56% vs. 18% will not change if the so-called file sent by the elected government to the Union government is approved. At best, it will go up to 19% vs. 56% of the population.”

Mr. Lone said he would raise the issue in the Assembly through appropriate legislative means.

Referring to the list of officers selected under J&K Accounts (Gazetted) and J&K Administrative Service (JKAS), Mr. Lone, who is also a lawmaker from Handwara, said, “Given the population ratio of 56%, Kashmiris hold 18% of the jobs. Incidentally, the appointment orders were issued by the Chief Minister, this recruitment should ideally be set aside. resident of the Kashmir Valley”.

Mr Lone said it looked like a “strategy to disempower and marginalize the people of the Kashmir Valley”.

“I wish and hope that together, across party lines, we will be able to point out the seriousness of this problem. And call a spade a spade. Which would mean explicitly and unequivocally saying that the current reservation system is a methodology to dispossess and marginalize the people of the Kashmir Valley,” he added.

Meanwhile, PDP leader Mehdi said that despite the valley constituting around 60% of J&K’s population, the 18% representation is worrisome. “This calls for a review of representation, equity and the current recruitment framework. I will raise this in the assembly. Kashmiri youth deserve equal opportunities, not token representation,” Mr Mehdi said.

Published – 17 Sep 2026 05:15 IST