PDP Urges Sensitivity, PC Calls For Clarity As JKAS Candidates Await Final Word On Age Relaxation

Srinagar: With just two days left for the Jammu and Kashmir Combined Competitive Examination, political parties across the spectrum have stepped up appealing to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to urgently approve the government’s proposal for age relaxation. The demand, they argued, is not merely procedural but a matter of fairness, compassion, and restoring trust among thousands of young aspirants.

On November 10, the administration announced a partial relaxation, extending the upper age limit for open merit candidates from 30 to 35 years. For reserved categories, the limit was set at 37, and for persons with disabilities, 38. However, the proposal for a broader one-time relaxation, transmitted by the J&K government, still awaits the LG’s final approval.

People's Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, in a letter to the Lieutenant Governor, urged immediate clearance of the proposal.

He said prolonged silence had created “deep anxiety and distress” among aspirants who had already endured years of setbacks.

“A timely decision would not only resolve an administrative matter but also carry symbolic weight, affirming that the system values the voices of its youth,” Para said.

“The silence around this issue has created deep anxiety among aspirants,” the PDP legislator asserted, adding that young people who have invested years of effort now feel trapped in uncertainty.

He appealed that a positive decision would not merely settle an administrative matter but would carry symbolic weight, reassuring the youth that institutions stand with them rather than against them.

Para said that the appeal was not just about extending an age bar but about restoring confidence in governance.

“Any further delay risks alienating a generation that is already struggling with limited opportunities. A compassionate decision now would affirm that their voices are heard and that the system they aspire to serve values their commitment,” he said.

“Thousands of aspirants are waiting to appear with clarity and confidence. They should not be burdened with doubts or a sense of injustice at such a crucial juncture,” he added.

However, People's Conference President and Handwara MLA Sajad Gani Lone criticized the administration over the unresolved age-relaxation issue in the JKAS examination, saying aspirants have been pushed into “a confusing maze of official claims” and left in “unprecedented distress.”

Lone described the handling of the matter as “quixotic governance,” with files shuttling between the Chief Minister’s and Lieutenant Governor’s offices, but no final decision.

He warned that the uncertainty was undermining preparation, calling it “unnerving and an impediment for meritorious students.”

Urging the Chief Minister to intervene directly, Lone said, “For once, the CM should issue a clear statement and end the ambiguity,”.

He added that while the all-India upper age limit for open merit candidates is 38 years, in J&K it remains 32. “If every other rule has been applied post-2019, why not this one? My vote is for age relaxation,” he added.

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