SRINAGAR: Prominent social & student rights activist Er. Ehtisham Khan on Tuesday strongly criticised the government for once again bypassing the long-standing concerns regarding the current reservation policy, following the issuance of a new circular for the recruitment of Accounts Assistants in the Finance Department. He termed the move “a deliberate deviation from addressing deep-rooted structural injustice” and said it reaffirms that “the problem was never absence of power—it is the surrender of it”.
“It is profoundly disappointing that despite repeated commitments by those in power to rectify the inherently unjust reservation framework, we are once again presented with a recruitment notification that tactically evades the core issue,” Khan said in a statement issued here. “What was promised as reform has, in reality, become reinforcement of an unfair system that restricts opportunities rather than expanding them. Those responsible are not powerless—they are simply unwilling.”
He asserted that the “injustices” embedded in the current structure have been repeatedly flagged both publicly and directly to the authorities. “I have been advocating for a fair restructuring from the very beginning—not for political currency, but for the dignity and future of thousands of students and aspirants. Every passing day without course correction is not just administrative delay—it is a conscious tightening of the walls around our youth,” he said.
Khan emphasised that true governance is judged by intent and courage, not by proclamations and timelines. “It is now strikingly clear that this government is not constrained by inability, but by a lack of political will to deliver fairness. Each announcement is followed by silence; each promise by retreat. Issuing new recruitment circulars without addressing the base inequity in policy is not progress—it is postponement of justice,” he said.
“At this juncture, I urge all mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir—those who are not part of the ruling dispensation and who truly claim to stand for the people—to come together, rise above partisan calculations and collectively hold the elected government accountable. This matter transcends political rivalry; it is about safeguarding the future of our youth and preventing the further erosion of public trust,” Er Ehtisham added.
Calling the situation “a moral failure of governance”, Khan said, “Justice deferred in this matter translates into careers denied, lives disrupted, and public trust irreversibly eroded.” He warned that if immediate corrective action is not taken, the administration alone will shoulder responsibility for the social and psychological consequences inflicted upon aspirants.
“If authority cannot be exercised in favour of justice, it effectively becomes complicit in injustice. Those in elected office must understand—history does not remember how long one remained in power, but whether that power was used when it mattered the most,” he said.
Concluding his statement, Khan reaffirmed: “We do not seek compensation or appeasement—we seek structural correction. The window for trust is rapidly closing. If this issue continues to be ignored, it will no longer be seen as oversight but as a deliberate political choice to let an entire generation suffer.”