Budgam: Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) President and former Cabinet Minister Hakeem Mohammed Yaseen has strongly criticised the Jammu and Kashmir Health and Medical Education Department over what he described as a “deeply flawed and unjust” allocation of Medical Officer (MO) posts, wherein only 192 out of 480 posts have been earmarked for Open Merit (OM) candidates.
In a statement issued here, Yaseen said that the present reservation framework has distorted the original intent of affirmative action. “Reservation was meant to uplift the genuinely disadvantaged, not to overwhelm merit or transform equality into exclusion. Today, Open Merit candidates—despite being the backbone of competitive examinations—are being pushed to the wall,” he remarked.
The former Minister expressed serious concern over the existing reservation breakup, under which a majority of posts have been allotted to various reserved categories, leaving Open Merit candidates with barely 40 per cent of the total vacancies. “This is creating a new injustice while claiming to correct an old one. Such an imbalance is neither constitutional nor socially sustainable,” Yaseen asserted.
Referring to concerns raised by youth, legislators and medical professionals, the PDF President noted that with a common syllabus and uniform examination standards, nearly 60 to 70 per cent of aspirants are now forced to compete for a disproportionately smaller share of posts. “This has resulted in widespread frustration among meritorious doctors who have spent years preparing with the hope of fair and transparent competition,” he said.
Yaseen further pointed out that reservations in Jammu and Kashmir have crossed the 60 per cent mark, drastically shrinking the space for merit-based selection. He warned that dilution of merit in medical recruitment could have far-reaching consequences for public healthcare delivery. “When competence is compromised, it is not just the aspirant who suffers, but the entire society,” he cautioned.
Welcoming the Cabinet Sub-Committee’s recommendation to increase the Open Merit quota by 10 per cent through rationalisation of EWS and RBA reservations, the PDF leader urged the Lieutenant Governor to approve the proposal without further delay. “The government must act decisively to restore balance, protect merit, and ensure justice for Open Merit candidates,” he said.
Reiterating the Peoples Democratic Front’s stand, Hakeem Mohammed Yaseen demanded an immediate review of the existing reservation policy, strict adherence to constitutional limits, and the formulation of a recruitment framework that harmonises social justice with merit and efficiency.
He cautioned that continued marginalisation of Open Merit aspirants would erode public faith in institutions and deepen social divisions, ultimately defeating the very purpose for which reservations were originally envisaged.
