Srinagar: Apni Party Provincial President and Former Minister Mohammad Ashraf Mir on Wednesday grilled the National Conference-led government while accusing it of “deliberately betraying the educated youth of Jammu and Kashmir” through backdoor appointments and open violations of its own policies.
Mir recalled that during Omar Abdullah’s earlier tenure as Chief Minister, the cabinet had taken a clear decision barring the re-employment of retired officials in government offices.
“That decision was meant to protect young aspirants and uphold merit,” he said, adding that “today the same leadership is shamelessly dismantling that policy for convenience and favouritism.”
Referring to Government Order No. 1424-JK(GAD) of 2025 dated November 3, Mir cited the appointment of retired official Bashir Ahmed as Officer on Special Duty to Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather. He said the move directly violates the re-employment ban imposed in December 2024 and reflects “rank hypocrisy at the top.” “This is not a mistake. This is a conscious assault on merit and credibility,” he asserted.
Mir exposed the Speaker and senior figures within the NC administration of facilitating “backdoor entries for relatives, favourites and loyalists,” calling it a “rigged system where power decides and merit is crushed.”
He said thousands of qualified youth who have spent years preparing for competitive exams are being pushed into frustration as posts are quietly filled through influence. “The message to youth is brutal: merit has no value in this system,” he said.
He added that similar irregular re-engagements have surfaced in key departments, including Health and Medical Education, weakening institutions and eroding public trust.
“When rules are bent for a few, faith in governance collapses for everyone,” Mir remarked.
Warning of deepening alienation, Mir said the continued denial of fair opportunities is driving youth toward despair and disillusionment. “You cannot talk of youth empowerment while stabbing youth in the back,” he said, adding that such double standards threaten social stability.
Mir demanded an immediate halt to all re-employment and contractual engagements of retired officials, cancellation of what he termed illegal and backdoor appointments beginning with the Bashir Ahmed case and a transparent probe to expose beneficiaries and those responsible. “Accountability must start now,” he said.
Concluding, Mir warned that unless merit-based recruitment is restored without compromise, the NC government will stand exposed as one that “speaks of reform but governs through favouritism,” betraying the very youth it claims to champion.
