MP Er Rashid Urges Population-Based Reservation Policy for Jammu Kashmir | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Incarcerated Baramulla Member of Parliament Engineer Rashid has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging a comprehensive overhaul of Jammu and Kashmir’s reservation policy by linking it strictly to population data at district, divisional and Union Territory levels.

The letter was made public on Sunday by Awami Itihaad Party chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi, who said the MP had proposed what he described as a “fair, transparent and population-sensitive” reservation model to address mounting public discontent over the existing framework.

According to Inam Un Nabi, Rashid argued that the current reservation structure has created widespread uncertainty and resentment as it does not proportionately reflect either demographic strength or regional distribution. He wrote that there is a strong sentiment across communities that the prevailing system requires urgent reassessment to restore public trust and social balance.

The MP proposed that reservations in education, employment and public services should be determined strictly based on population figures at the district, divisional and UT levels. He maintained that such a demographic-based framework would ensure equitable representation for all sections, including Open Merit candidates, general category aspirants and people living in remote and marginalised regions such as ST-I and ST-II areas.

Rashid, in the letter, has sought a two per cent reservation for youth from Jammu and Kashmir in paramilitary force recruitments across the country. He argued that extending such a special quota would provide a dignified and stable employment avenue for the region’s youth and help channel their energies in a constructive direction.

The MP urged the Union Home Minister to personally intervene to revisit the reservation policy through what he termed a population-sensitive approach, stating that such an initiative would bring clarity, fairness and renewed confidence among young people and marginalised groups in the Union Territory.