SRINAGAR: As the Cabinet Sub-Committee on reservation review formally concludes its six-month tenure, Er. Ehtisham Khan, prominent social and student rights activist, has raised serious questions about the lack of transparency, stakeholder consultation, and tangible clarity surrounding the entire process.
Reacting to the announcement made on Tuesday by the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee, Khan said, “As I had repeatedly cautioned—this process, too, has ended in ambiguity. Another announcement, another draft, and yet no clarity on what it contains or whether the genuine stakeholders were ever taken on board.”
Despite a six-month-long window, the government has failed to maintain even the basic standard of public transparency and community engagement. “Where were the consultations? Who was involved? Where is the roadmap? Where is the faith promised to open merit students and aspirants?” Khan asked.
Referring to the ruling dispensation’s repeated public promises—particularly those made before the elections—Khan remarked, “What we are witnessing today is not just silence, it is betrayal. A betrayal of the youth who were promised justice. The very same leaders who raised slogans for fairness and equity are now hiding behind vague announcements and closed-door decisions.”
Khan also made a subtle but sharp remark about certain self-proclaimed leaders and social media organisations who, in his words, “chose the easier route of photo-ops and proximity to political corridors, while the real issue was left to languish.”
Khan has been among the first and most consistent voices demanding a rational review of the reservation policy. He has previously submitted detailed representations to the Chairperson of the committee, engaged with constitutional offices including the Union Home Ministry and the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, and consistently voiced the concerns of the open merit category through various democratic platforms.
“Open Merit isn’t just being neglected—it’s being subjected to systematic indifference. Every announcement lacking clarity adds to the uncertainty. We are being made to wait in darkness while jobs continue to be advertised under the same flawed policy,” Khan added.
He reiterated his long-standing appeal to the government: “Justice delayed is justice denied. Expedite the process, but more importantly—make it credible. Make it transparent. Let the people know whether their voices were heard.
If this report is just another bureaucratic formality, then the government has not only failed its promises but also betrayed the hopes of an entire generation,” he added
As thousands of students and job aspirants continue to wait, Khan called for urgent course correction: “We do not need another formality. We need fairness. We need facts. And we need the courage from the government to fulfill the promises it once made so confidently.
‘Another ambiguity, open merit continues to suffer’: Er. Ehtisham on Cabinet Sub-Committee report
