KARACHI: The chief minister of India-held Kashmir on Wednesday assailed the use of religion as a criterion for student admissions, wondering that if merit is set aside, where would that leave the Constitution.

“Today, in one of the medical colleges, it is being said that Muslims and non-Hindus should not study here. If we set aside merit and start making decisions on the basis of religion, then where will the Constitution go,” Kashmiri media quoted Omar Abdullah as saying.

The issue he was referring to stems from a controversy over student admissions at the territory’s Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, which has 50 sanctioned seats for medical students.

Of the 50 seats, 42 were allotted to Muslim students based on merit, sparking protests from right-wing Hindu groups and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who said Hindu students should be prioritised as the institution’s funding came from donations to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. Speaking at the golden jubilee programme of Jamia Ziaul Uloom institute in Poonch on India’s Constitution Day, Mr Abdullah said that the day “should not be reduced to a symbolic observance”.

“Today, Constitution Day is being celebrated. The meaning of Constitution Day is not that we remember the Constitution for an hour … its meaning is that every day of the year, we must keep it alive,” Abdullah was quoted as saying by the Kashmir Observer.

The chief executive of the occupied territory noted that the Indian constitution’s preamble grants equal status to all religions, ensures democratic rights for every citizen and guarantees protection under the law, according to the Observer’s report.

It added that he expressed concern that the country was witnessing a trend where even educational institutions were being viewed through a communal lens.

“Today, in one of the medical colleges, it is being said that Muslims and non-Hindus should not study here. If we set aside merit and start making decisions on the basis of religion, then where will the Constitution go?” he was quoted as saying about the rejection of the student list.

“Where was it written?” he asked the press. “It was said that admissions will be based on merit and not religion. When admission is granted based on merit, then some people don’t like that. If they are not in favour, then they can approach the Supreme Court.”

He added that admissions cannot be decided without merit and said that admitting students based on religion would violate the Indian constitution.

“Will social welfare schemes be handled based on religion?” He asked. “Will ration shops ask about [the customer’s] religion? Will policemen work based on religion?

“If you don’t want Muslims to study here, then declare it a minority institute. They’ll get admission elsewhere … they’ll go to Bangladesh or Turkiye.

“But, if you point the finger at Muslims and call them communal, sectarian and don’t tolerate their children, then remember this situation,” he added.

Concern over UN report

Separately, Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Wednesday expressed “grave concern” over a United Nations (UN) report that observed systemic human rights violations in India-occupied Kashmir.

UN experts had raised the alarm over “serious human rights violations” in occupied Kashmir in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in April this year, for which Delhi blamed Islamabad without any evidence.

“Pakistan notes with grave concern the latest findings by the United Nations Special Procedures experts regarding India’s illegal measures in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” the Foreign Office said.

It said that the report “once again und­erscores the severe and systematic human rights violations endured by the Kashmiri people under Indian occupation”.

It noted “with alarm” the UN experts’ observations that India’s actions had resulted in the “extensive arbitrary arrest and detention of nearly 2,800 individuals, including journalists, students, and human rights advocates”.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2025