Srinagar, Jan 4: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Sunday expressed serious concern over the Jammu and Kashmir government’s decision to proceed with large-scale recruitments despite the reservation rationalisation proposal, already cleared by the Cabinet, remaining pending final approval and notification.

As of January 3, 2026, the government is pushing ahead with recruitment drives for more than 1,815 Executive Constable posts, along with selections for Armed Police, IRF, SDRF, and other departments, even as the Cabinet-approved proposal for rationalisation of reservations; forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor in early December 2025 continues to await notification.

In a statement, Advisor of Association Danish Lone said that proceeding with mass recruitments in the absence of a notified and rationalised reservation framework risks permanently entrenching structural imbalances. “Such an approach disproportionately sidelines large sections of aspirants under the open merit category, denying them a level playing field and undermining the very spirit of equity and social justice that reservation policies are meant to uphold,” he said.

He termed the move not merely administratively flawed but ethically indefensible, noting that recruitment exercises conducted under a policy framework acknowledged by the government itself as needing correction raise serious concerns about fairness, procedural propriety, and informed consent of aspirants. “Once selections are made, the damage becomes irreversible, rendering future rationalisation largely symbolic,” the statement added.

The Association made a clear and urgent demand for an immediate pause on all ongoing and proposed recruitments until the reservation framework is rationalised, notified, and implemented. JKSA further called for a time-bound, transparent, and consultative process, involving aspirants, legal experts, and civil society stakeholders, to ensure that reservation rationalisation is grounded in data, constitutional principles, and on-ground realities.

Expressing concern over growing frustration among the youth, Lone said continued delay, silence, and unilateral decision-making are deepening alienation among Kashmir’s young population, many of whom are already grappling with shrinking opportunities and prolonged uncertainty. “Trust in institutions cannot survive on assurances alone; it requires dialogue, accountability, and demonstrable fairness,” the Association stated.

Association reminded the government that governance is not merely about procedural speed or numerical targets. “A government is a trustee of public faith. Pushing ahead with recruitments despite acknowledging flaws in the existing reservation framework reflects policy arbitrariness and a troubling disregard for the aspirations of an entire generation,” the statement said. Calling for statesmanship and constitutional maturity, the Association urged the government to prioritise justice over expediency and course-correct before irreversible harm is do