SRINAGAR: PDP President and former CM Mehbooba Mufti has raised serious concerns over the “erosion of meritocracy and the unfulfilled promises” of the National Conference.
Talking to media on Tuesday, she criticized the lack of action on key issues affecting the youth, particularly the neglect of merit in recruitment processes.
She highlighted the frustration of young aspirants, stating, “What will we tell our children? Work hard, become capable-then what? Their opportunities are being restricted.”
She took a dig at the National Conference, accusing its Members of Parliament of failing to voice these concerns in Parliament. “People voted for them hoping they would address our problems or at least speak up in Parliament. It’s been over a year, and not a single MP has raised a reservation policy issue. The matter has been conveniently left to the courts, which is deeply unfortunate,” she said.
She also pointed out the 2018 introduction of SRO 49, which reserved 75% of postgraduate positions for open categories stating the importance of merit in specialized fields.
She called for immediate intervention to ensure fair representation for open merit candidates and urged political leaders to act rather than wait for court decisions.
The PDP president expressed disappointment in the current government’s inaction, saying, “With such a strong majority, I had hoped they would resolve this. Instead, they’ve chosen to ignore it, leaving the youth helpless and disillusioned.”
