Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, June 15

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Monday that Jammu and Kashmir administration had prepared its response to clarifications sought by the Centre on the Cabinet Sub-Committee’s report on reservation and would soon place the matter before the Cabinet for approval.

The report, prepared by a Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted in November 2024, was submitted after months of public debate and protests over the existing reservation framework in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The concerned department has prepared replies to all the clarifications sought by the Centre. The response has been ready for the last two to three days,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.

He said the original report had already been approved by the Cabinet and therefore the government’s response to New Delhi’s queries would also require Cabinet clearance before being forwarded to the Centre.

The committee was established amid mounting concerns from students and job aspirants who argued that the existing reservation structure had significantly reduced opportunities for open merit candidates. Protesters demanded a review of a policy under which nearly 60% of seats and positions are reserved for various categories.

At the same time, reserved category groups have insisted that constitutionally guaranteed protections should not be diluted.

The panel was also tasked with examining whether Jammu and Kashmir’s reservation policy aligned with recent Supreme Court observations and legal principles governing affirmative action.

Separately, Abdullah reiterated that his party’s campaign for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would continue as planned.

“There is no change in our plan. We will raise the issue and go to Delhi to register our message at Jantar Mantar,” he said.

He said National Conference leaders would visit New Delhi during Parliament’s Monsoon Session to remind the Centre of commitments made regarding statehood restoration.