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Srinagar: A deliberate attempt is being made to sabotage the aspirations of the poor Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir. It seems that some people in the administration are trying to deny what is rightfully due to the poor KPs, thereby undermining the Modi government’s schemes/ initiatives and even Court’s orders.
The case in point is the September 23 order of the J&K administration , Department of Disaster, Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction, Srinagar, Reference Administrative Council Decision No.130/20/2020 dated 23.09.2020. The order says that sanction has been granted to withdrawal of the 1997 unfulfilled encumbrance free posts from 18 departments, and seeks re-allocation of the posts. This order is unjustified and wrong as 45 candidates have already been selected through rightful criteria and process.
The reference itself is illegal and unjust for the reason that the process of recruiting the eligible candidates has long back been done. The selected list is with the government and the candidates are awaiting the appointment letters. Since last 18 day selected Kashmiri Pandit candidates are on hunger strike near press club Jammu & state administration is deliberately ignoring High Court & Service Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) recommendation.
This is part of the Special PM Employment package of the past Dr Manmohan Singh regime. Under this scheme, the recruitment process for 6,000 vacancies of J&K government has already been completed. The leftover candidates have even moved the High Court for a mandamus to the government for issuance of appointment letters pursuant to the selection by JKSSB.
The matter was referred to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and is now pending final disposal in CAT. The Division Bench of HC has ruled that eligibility is the only criteria for such rehabilitation recruitment schemes. If the selected candidates have not been given the appointment letters, then what is the purpose of the fresh notification?
The current administrative order is, therefore, unjust, illegal and fraught with mischief to deprive employment to those already eligible and those who may or are likely to get age bared due to the delay caused by the administration by not issuing the appointment letters. This mischief requires to be set right. All migrant and non-migrant Kashmiri Pandit youth are entitled /qualified for the recruitment.
It seems to be a deliberate ploy by the J&K bureaucracy to deny employment to the eligible Kashmiri Pandit youths. We have, in the last seven decades, often raised our voice against the discrimination meted out to Kashmiri Pandits in the valley. Government jobs have always been denied to eligible candidates on one or the other pretext. And, the same seems to be happening now also.
Kashmiri Pandits’ relatively small numbers, coupled with a tradition of non-violent protest, has made the Pandits largely irrelevant in the political discourse – both within the country and internationally – in Kashmir. It should be clear, however, that the many ‘peace processes’ and ‘political solutions’ that are initiated in J&K from time to time have little meaning until these include some steps to correct the grave injustices done to this unfortunate community.
The Kashmiri Pandits have urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to look into the matter and stop the deliberate, malicious intent of a section in the J&K administration to deny the Kashmiri Pandits their due rights.-By Satish Mahaldar
