Only 24 of the required minimum 130 employees serving overseas are from the province. PHOTO: FILE
Despite having an official quota of 6% for residents working in foreign office jobs, a mere 1% of people from Balochistan province are serving in overseas missions.
More than 2,354 employees are working in over 117 Pakistani foreign missions which consumed a whopping Rs9.8 billion in 2013, with cumulative expenditures totalling Rs48.8 billion in the last six years.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, in his written reply to the National Assembly, claimed, “The government has fixed a 6% quota for making appointments from Balochistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strictly observes this quota.”
If the official quota is to be followed, at least 130 employees must be from Balochistan, residents with domicile status, the Foreign Office’s senior officials said.
A 53% quota has been reserved for Punjab; 20% for Sindh, 18% for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Fata, Gilgit-Baltistan and 3% for AJK, they explained.
An estimated 568 officers and 1,833 supporting staff are serving at Pakistani missions abroad.
According to the documents, accountant Ayesha Nasreen, BPS-14, is the only woman from Balochistan in the Pakistan Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The issue of ‘ignoring’ Balochistan was taken up by MNA Abdul Qahar Wadan of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, who sought details of Balochistan officials serving for Pakistani missions.
Responding to this question, Sartaj Aziz also claimed that under the Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan Package, in the past 18 months adequate posts have been filled under the Balochistan quota.
Reality is different as the lone driver Muhammad Ashraf, who was appointed under this package in April 2013, did not join the service, the reply further states. Some 36 staffers who are currently serving in the Foreign Office, Islamabad, also belong to Balochistan, it added.
According to details, a total 19 of the 568 officers serving abroad belong to Balochistan. Of these, 308 are diplomats and 260 are from information, defence, culture and commercial counseling. About 235 officers are from Punjab; 79 from K-P, Fata and Gilgit-Baltistan; 47 from urban Sindh; 41 from rural Sindh; 12 Azad Jammu and Kashmir and seven from Islamabad.
Two ambassadors, Ghalib Iqbal in Paris and Asif Durrani in Abu Dhabi, hold Balochistan domicile.
Five officers from Balochistan are serving abroad. These are Assistant Private Secretary (APS) Adeel Kenneth in Berne; APS Zakir Hussain in Harare; APS Razaq Ansari in Yangon; APS Imran Ahmed in Tehran and APS Muhammad in Brasilia.
The list of other supporting staff includes: assistant Muhammad Furqan, who is serving in the Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli; accountant Ali Abbas in Herat, accountant Muhammad Salman in Chicago, accountant Abdul Rauf in Vienna, accountant Mumtaz Anwar Ghani in Warsaw, accountant Baqir Shah in Lisbon, cypher assistant Rashid Afridi in Beijing, cypher assistant Kabir Afridi in Canberra, cypher assistant Khalid Mahmood in Tehran, cypher assistant Irfan Khan in Tashkent, cypher assistant Asim Raza in Warsaw, steno-typist Asif Ali in United Nation, New York, upper division clerk Sohail Ahmed in New Delhi, driver Ali Haider in Brasilia, driver Allah Waraya in Riyadh and Abdul Wali Khan is serving as special security guard in Kandahar.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam says, “The quota is observed at the time of initial recruitment. After that, postings and transfers are made on the basis of merit, languages learnt and availability of vacant posts and personal choices.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2014.
COMMENTS (20)
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@naeem khan Manhattan Ks: we just need and want the balohcistan quota on merit basis and just the appoint on merit from balochistan by local basis, like that baloch, pashtoon and hazaras. we dont want the appoint of domicile from balochistan quota in the foriegn office.
@Asifa: Am I arguing for the quota system? Is the statement "no one should refute the absolute necessity of merit and the abolition of the quota system" ambiguous? Or is it that when you saw the word Baloch you started believing otherwise? It's the tragedy of the Punjabi mindset that instead of understanding matters they are inclined to misunderstand them. That explains why after 70 years of independence the country finds itself on a bed of explosives. Open up your minds.
@abdulwahid baloch While the distribution of tax money collected by the center can be made more equitable, it is imperative to note that jobs are not commodities to be distributed as flour, sugar or tea. These are are responsible positions to which the well being of the whole citizenry is tied to. Only the best and the brightest in these positions can guarantee a more prosperous Pakistan. No country has such a backward and regressive quota system that we find in Pakistan today.
@Abdulwahid Baloch:
Agree 100%....very correct !
While no one should refute the absolute necessity of merit and the abolition of the quota system, it's imperative that the same principle -- the principle of equal opportunity irrespective of place of domicile or origin -- is applied in all other dealings of the state. However, we see that this principle is applied only where it promotes the interests of the province that rules Pakistan. When it comes to the distribution of resources, for example, the Pakistan of Punjab applies the notion of provinces and argues that being a small province, Balochistan deserves only a negligible share of the resources. But when it comes to the exploitation of these resources, it applies the principle of 'one country' and argues that resources belong to the entire country. Similarly, when it comes to allocation of jobs, you argue that it should be based on competition from throughout Pakistan, but when it comes to allowing equal growth through providing education and training, you argue that these are provincial responsibilities and have nothing to do with the central government. This pathetically hypocritical attitude is the same that the Zionist regime in Israel applies vis-a-vis the Palestinians. But then we claim to be 'Muslims' and believe in justice and call for the death of Israel. I think even the Zionist forces are not plundering the Palestinian land and massacring the Palestinian freedom seekers the way that Pakistani forces are waging ethnic cleansing against the Baloch who are asking for their rights. And definitely when I am saying such words, there are those somewhere within the state of Pakistan that will call me a 'traitor, and 'anti-Pakistan. But I warn the supporters of such grave injustice: Pray to Allah for some sense before Pakistan is referred to as the 'erstwhile state of Pakistan' in history books.
I wish that we could understand the real meaning of the Baloch conflict with the the government , its background, the real responsibility and most importantly the need the research based work on this matter taking the present and the past, both, as the serious injuries that may possibily have the fall of Dacca reappearing on the scene.
@ishrat salim Since you took the time and effort to comment here, this makes you a troller as well.
@zahid @Ishrat The quota system by it's very definition is inherently discriminatory. It discriminates against those who work hard and achieve high grades. Those who don't measure up don't deserve any free lunches. The Quota systems ingrains a culture of entitlement rather than hardworking and merit.
This is a reply to those trollers who says that quota system should not be followed but postings and promotions should be on merit only......yes ! In essense it should be have been most ideal, but would appreciate those trollers to first bring all urban and rural areas on equal terms, then merit based is applicable.....and such discrimination will never go away, unless we and our politicians, landlords etc; make it a point to educate their people in same standard as it is the urban areas....will they do it ? Although free education is supposed to be imparted as per constitution - clause / article made by these very politicians / MNAs / lawmakers, have they followed this.....?
A good report by Zahid Gishkori on this issue. No doubt Balochistan in General and Baloch in Particular are facing discrimination in all federal Departments.
For all those who are advocating 100% merit are ignorant about ground realities of Smaller provinces. Pakistan was created because Hindus were better-off in British India. The demand for Pakistan evolved from Separate electorates issue which itself was a quota system. So how can we don't maintain quotas system.
Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package was a drama. Already vacant positions belonging to Balochistan in federal and provincial departments were advertised. That's ridiculous!
Why does Punjab have a quota of more than 50%?
@A2Z Education and human resource development are primarily provincial subjects (even before 18 amendment). If any province cannot produce quality manpower, then they don't deserve any special treatment via quotas. This quota system has lowered the bar too much.
not to berate someone but please produce some stuff which can be deputed to foreign missions ... some merit ... some standard ...
I agree with above posters about 'merit' but merit should be based on fair competition. Are we providing enough resources to the under developed areas for competing with people of big cities? First give them same education and facilities then talk about merit.
@Pakistani: Agreed 100% merit only!!
Merit and only merit should be the way. Quota is discriminatory towards talent and qualifications.
There should be separate quotas for Northern and Southern Punjab as well, like rural and urban Sindh.
And some one should also tell us that how much natural resources of Baluchistan has been utilized by the rest of Pakistan or provinces.We have been treating them like a colony and now facing the consequences of that neglect and exploitation , Bangladesh opted out of Pakistan because of the same neglect and exploitation and the fingers are pointed toward one province and only one province. When would we ever wake up.