Latest news with #Kashmiri-speaking
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Mehbooba, Lone oppose Urdu's exclusion as mandatory subject for Naib-Tehsildar posts in J&K
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and J&K Peoples Conference (JKPC) chief Sajad Lone on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) opposed the move to drop Urdu as a mandatory subject for Naib-Tehsildar posts in Jammu and Kashmir. 'It is deeply unfortunate that our judiciary appears to be influenced by divisive politics. Urdu, a recognised official language for decades, is now being unfairly communalised,' former J&K Chief Minister Ms. Mufti said in a post on social media platform X. J&K's revenue records and administrative work continued to be maintained in Urdu, she said. 'It is only logical that applicants for the post of Naib Tehsildar possess basic proficiency in the language. This requirement is rooted purely in administrative efficiency not in any form of divisiveness,' Ms. Mufti said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been protesting against the government notification issued in June to fill these posts. A Central Administrative Tribunal Bench, comprising Rajinder Dogra and Ram Mohan Johri, on Monday passed an order to stay the operation of the provisions of the J&K Revenue (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules of 2009, making knowledge of Urdu as the minimum qualification. It directed the J&K Services Selection Board to accept applications from all candidates who possess an undergraduate degree with knowledge of any of the five official languages in J&K. 'The exclusion of Urdu as a qualifying requirement is part of a systematic marginalisation of the Kashmiri-speaking majority, and a dangerous step towards the 'linguicide' of Urdu,' Mr. Lone said. With Urdu no longer needed to qualify for the post of Naib Tehsildar, 'The majority Kashmiri-speaking population has been almost relegated to a footnote in the recruitment lists. Their presence in the recruitment lists is inversely proportional to their numbers. That is of course due to reservations,' Mr. Lone said. He said that Urdu had historically given Kashmiri aspirants a reasonable edge in such posts because of the language's relevance in administrative affairs. 'It is a calculated move to erase regional linguistic roots. The onus of giving a good legal representation is on the incumbent elected government. Hope it is not yet another fixed match in a series of fixed matches that we are seeing lately,' Mr. Lone said.
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sajad Lone files RTI to assess job reservation impact on Kashmiris
Peoples Conference president and Handwara legislator Sajad Gani Lone on Thursday called for a 'scientific and statistical analysis' of the reservation policy, claiming that it disproportionately affects the Kashmiri-speaking ethnic group. Peoples Conference president and Handwara legislator Sajad Gani Lone. (File) Lone, in a statement, said that he has filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to gather recruitment data from the last ten government examinations. This data, he said, will help create a 'statistically scientific basis' to evaluate the policy's impact. 'We need the actual marks scored by candidates and the final selection list. By comparing a merit list without reservation with one where reservation is applied, we can quantify the damage inflicted on the Kashmiri-speaking ethnic group,' Lone said. He proposed using selection data from past ten recruitment exams as a sample set, which could be expanded later for broader statistical relevance. 'If the government introduces a revised reservation system, the party will apply it retrospectively to the same recruitment data to assess its effects,' he added. Describing the approach as rational and evidence-based, Lone said, 'Let us end all debates and decide things purely on a scientific basis. And apply remedies on a scientific basis,' he said. In a message to policymakers, Lone cautioned against letting electoral considerations overshadow youth interests. 'Let us separate votes from the future of our youngsters. Let dreams not be massacred at the altar of votes,' he said.
