Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba join protest in Jammu against hiring of APTECH to conduct recruitment exams

Jammu, Mar 11 (PTI) NC president Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday joined a candlelight vigil by youths here against the hiring of a previously blacklisted company by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) to conduct computer-based written tests.

The former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir separately joined the protest in Kachi Chawni area in the evening.

Jobseekers have been protesting for the last three days against the JKSSB’s decision to hire APTECH Limited, which was blacklisted in 2019, to conduct computer-based tests (CBTs) to fill vacant posts in various government departments.

According to the JKSSB, the company was hired as per the guidelines of the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the Centre as it completed the three-year blacklisting period in May last year.

Abdullah was the first to join the protest and Mehbooba joined minutes later.

“Jammu and Kashmir is faced with the highest unemployment rate. First, there are no jobs for the youth and when recruitment takes place, it is cancelled due to unearthing of scams,” Mehbooba told reporters.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief condemned the recent lathi charge on the protesting youths in Jammu and said, “The government should immediately accept their demand and cancel the contract with APTECH.”

“The administration should hire an agency which has a transparent track record and it should stop playing with the future of our youth,” she said.