The Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo on Saturday said the Omar government is committed to submitting the reservation report within six months, and the work will be completed within that time frame.
“The issue of reservation is a sensitive one. Many youth and educated people are concerned about it. You must remember, when the Omar government was formed, people trusted him. He received deputations who demanded focus on the reservation policy. Taking the matter seriously, he formed a sub-committee the very next day,” Itoo said while addressing a press conference.
She said three ministers are part of the sub-committee.
“The ministers are actively conducting meetings and reviewing the representations we are receiving. The seriousness lies not just in the formation of the committee, but also in setting a six-month timeline for its report,” she said.
“One can imagine how seriously the Chief Minister is taking this. We update him daily on how many representations have been examined, progress made, and the expected developments,” Itoo said.
She said that this is the first time a sub-committee has been given a fixed mandate of six months.
“Unfortunately, some politicians are always ready to criticise. During the assembly session, a question on reservation was raised—but the person who raised it didn’t even attend. If he truly cared, he would have shown up and asked questions directly,” she said.
“The committee formed by the Chief Minister is working with sincerity. I held a meeting yesterday and will meet more deputations tomorrow. Regular discussions are ongoing. Another meeting is scheduled at 10 a.m. tomorrow at SKICC,” Itoo said.
On the government’s affidavit submitted in court, Sakina said, “There was news today. Even now, he (Sajad Lone) continues his politics on Twitter—he tweeted again this morning, saying the department has submitted an affidavit to the court stating the reservation policy is correct. But I want to respond to him through you: if the government wasn’t committed, why would it set a six-month deadline or form a committee? The government is committed. It knows the people have voted for us and given us their trust.”
“If the government formed a committee, it did so seriously. How the affidavit was presented in court is a different matter. What’s important is that the government is committed and will submit its report on the reservation issue,” she said.
“To those who have met us, those who will, and those who’ve sent in their representations—I assure you, we are examining every submission. Don’t fall for attempts to mislead. If required, the government will submit another affidavit to clarify or rectify any issues,” the m minister said.
“We are sincere and won’t mislead anyone. And to those trying to mislead people, I say: wait for six months. If you lack patience, visit a doctor or psychiatrist. They’ll prescribe something to help you develop the patience needed,” she added.
Earlier, Sajad Lone slammed the Omar government for seeking the dismissal of a petition related to reservations in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a post on X, the People’s Conference leader said that the Jammu and Kashmir government has filed an affidavit before the High Court, making a plea that the petition on reservations in Jammu and Kashmir is frivolous and should be dismissed.
“In an affidavit filed before the J & K High Court yesterday by J&K Government in the case of Zahoor Ahmed Bhat and others vs UT of J & K, pertaining to reservations, J&K government has submitted that the petition is frivolous and sought its outright dismissal,” Sajad said.