After the abrogation of Article 370 in August, Jammu and Kashmir government for the first time has invited applications for jobs pan-India.
On December 17, Managing Director of newly created Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKPTO), issued an advertisement in local papers, inviting applications for hiring seven positions in the organisation.
"JKTPO proposes to engage seven professional 'interns' for Global Investors Summit, at a consolidated remuneration of Rs 25000/per month for a period of six months," the advertisement published in a local daily, reads.
The posts advertised include five MBA Marketing and two MBA Finance positions. In terms and conditions column, it reads: "Only Indian Nationals are eligible to apply." However, in the same column, it is mentioned that candidates from J&K will be given preference.
According to the notice, the selection will be 'purely' on the basis of merit and marks obtained in MBA final exam. "Preference shall be given to experience and added a qualification."
The Jammu and Kashmir’s first global investors’ summit is scheduled to be held in 2020. The aim of the summit is to showcase J&K's strengths, strategies and potential.
Fayaz Ahmad Dar, an MBA pass-out from Srinagar while commenting on the job notice says that "through a systematic process, the Center was disempowering people of Kashmir."
"How can locals students compete with outsiders, who have huge facilities at their disposal. In coming years, this will become a trend and Kashmiris will have to live like second class citizens in their own land," he alleged.
After the nullification of Article 370 and Article 35A on August 5, J&K has lost the protections which barred outsiders from settling down in the state and also allowed only the local residents to apply for jobs in the then state government. This has become a source of great unease in the newly created union territory (UT), with a majority of people seeking restoration of these rights.
Till the Article 370 was in vogue, even companies in the erstwhile state were forced to hire only locals. However, after the scrapping of the special people, J&K residents lost these benefits associated with the permanent resident certificate.
One of the biggest concerns of the people In the Valley after the repeal of Article 370 has been buying off the UT land by outsiders and also loss of jobs to them. So far, parties across the ideological divide, including the BJP which undid these protections, has sought back the domicile rights.
However, the BJP government had been saying the fear of losing land and jobs among people of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 provisions are not true and asserted that putting an end to the region's special status will help integrate Kashmiris with the rest of the country.