Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah with his advisor Nasir Aslam Wani (to his immediate left). (Photo: Nasir Aslam Wani/ Facebook)After the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) accused it of carrying out “backdoor appointments” by “outsourcing” 25,000 jobs, the National Conference-led Jammu and Kashmir government has hit back, rejecting the allegation and accusing the Opposition party of “spreading misinformation”.Chief Minister’s Adviser Nasir Aslam Wani, Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo and Agriculture Minister Javid Dar addressed a press conference on Sunday morning on the issue.“Many misconceptions have been spread regarding our government’s employment policy,” Wani said, adding, “It is our duty to clear these misunderstandings because it is our responsibility to ensure that the public receives the correct information.”While rejecting the allegations, Wani said the outsourcing of jobs was a legacy of the PDP-BJP government between 2015 and 2018. “Just as they left us with the consequences of the abrogation of Article 370, the loss of statehood, and the division of the erstwhile state…, they also left behind this outsourcing system,” he said.Read | ‘Fraud on Constitution’: High Court freezes University of Kashmir hiring over ‘cheap political’ backdoor entries“The entire outsourcing framework had been put in place between 2015 and 2018, and all the appointments now being questioned were initiated before the 2024 elections (when the current government came to power). The same process has simply continued,” Wani added.PDP president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti had earlier questioned the government, asking why, despite having a Public Service Commission (PSC), a Service Selection Board (SSB), and a Departmental Board, there was a need to outsource government jobs to contractors. She also accused the government of hiring agencies from outside J&K and giving these contracts to politically connected people.Responding to Mufti’s allegations, Sakina Itoo defended the outsourcing of jobs as a “short-term administrative necessity”.Story continues below this adRead | J&K unemployment hits 6.7%, nearly double the national average – and job seekers have paid ₹48 crore in application fees“Outsourced personnel are engaged over and above the sanctioned strength of any department,” Itoo said, adding, “The (outsourcing) agencies are selected through the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal using a transparent tendering process.”She said renewals and extensions of outsourcing agencies were “merely a continuation of a policy inherited from previous governments”.Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. Expertise and Experience Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development. Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor. Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans: Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance. Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population. Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley. Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More Tags:Jammu and Kashmir