SRINAGAR: The Omar Abdullah government is facing sharp criticism from Kashmir-based opposition parties for dropping Urdu, one of the official languages of J&K, mandatory for qualifying for revenue services, from the newly amended draft recruitment rules for revenue posts.
On April 10, the Revenue Department issued the draft Jammu and Kashmir Revenue Service Recruitment Rules for non-gazetted posts, inviting objections within 15 days.
The proposed amendments remove the earlier requirement of Urdu knowledge for posts such as Naib Tehsildar, Girdawar and Patwari—positions that are central to maintaining land and revenue records.
The move comes against the backdrop of a legal challenge and subsequent order by the Central Administrative Tribunal in July 2025, which stayed provisions of the 2009 rules mandating graduation with knowledge of Urdu. As per the fresh draft, the minimum qualification has been reduced to a graduation degree from a recognised university, without any Urdu language requirement.
The opposition BJP, which had been protesting for a year to get Urdu removed as qualification for revenue posts, welcomed the move.
The PDP, however, has opposed the move. PDP leader Iltija Mufti said the issue was not political but concerned the cultural, linguistic identity of J&K people. She accused the government of taking a series of steps to collectively weaken Urdu’s institutional presence.