The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday staged a protest in Srinagar against the National Conference-led government, alleging large-scale irregularities in recruitment to various departments.
The protest was led by PDP youth leader Zuhaib Yousf Mir and attended by several senior party leaders and workers.
Addressing the media, Mir alleged that nearly 25,000 appointments had been made across 29 government departments over the past 25 months without public advertisements, raising concerns about transparency, fairness and equal opportunity for unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir.
He questioned the government’s decision to allegedly outsource recruitments to nearly 200 private agencies instead of using established recruitment bodies such as the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB).
Mir said the government must clarify who was appointed, the criteria used for the appointments, and the reasons for bypassing the established recruitment mechanism.
“The youth of Jammu and Kashmir deserve transparency, accountability and justice. Thousands of educated young men and women continue to remain unemployed while questions surrounding these appointments remain unanswered. The government must come clean and place all facts before the public,” he said.
He further alleged that instead of responding to the concerns raised by the opposition, the government was attempting to divert attention from the issue.
Describing the protest as a reflection of growing public discontent, Mir said it represented the frustration of unemployed youth across Jammu and Kashmir.
“The PDP stands firmly with unemployed youth. We will continue to raise this issue at every platform until accountability is fixed and complete transparency is ensured in all recruitments,” he said.
During the protest, party workers raised slogans demanding justice for unemployed youth and sought answers from the government over the alleged appointments. The protesters also demanded a comprehensive disclosure of all recruitments made during the past 25 months, publication of selection details and an impartial inquiry into the matter.
