Editorial

Vacancies for minorities

What is needed is a change in the mindsets of many who refuse to see non-Muslims as equal citizens of this country

Editorial October 02, 2015

According to a report presented to parliament recently, more than 70 percent of posts reserved for non-Muslims in 52 federal government departments remain vacant. Around 8,126 posts for non-Muslims are lying empty in ministries and attached departments. The largest number of posts lying vacant are in Punjab, followed by Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. There are also vacant posts in Gilgit-Baltistan. Opposition senators have demanded that the government follow the relevant laws by filling these posts in a timely manner. In response, the government says that it has already begun the process. In Balochistan, 208 non-Muslims have been employed in paramilitary forces and in various other departments.

The failure to fill these posts amounts to discrimination against minority groups and worsens their hardships. However, to improve their situation, far more needs to be done than merely filling posts meant for them in government departments. A holistic policy needs to be developed to uplift them and draw them further into the mainstream of society. There is, after all, no reason why we should need special provisions to offer jobs to minorities. Given opportunities, they should be able to compete for these on the same basis as the majority groups. In an ideal world, merit should be the only criterion. However, given how minorities are discriminated against at all levels, including in the field of education, it means that to ensure their progress, quotas need to be established. There is also no reason why specific minority groups should be assigned specific jobs. Our social norms, very unfortunately, mean that generally only Christians are hired for sanitary work. They end up with the worst-paid and lowest status jobs in society. What is needed is state policy that protects the interests of minority groups and equips them with the education and skills needed to succeed in life. What is also needed is a change in the mindsets of many who refuse to see non-Muslims as equal citizens of this country.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2015.

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COMMENTS (1)

Shalom | 8 years ago | Reply What I like about Tribune is that it talks sense and tries to make us aware of the attitudes of 21st century which stand for respect for all human beings without dividing them in race, religion or ethnicity. Thank you for that. But we call the country an Islamic republic and meet only Muslims, avoiding others. This mindset is getting from bad to worse and the new generation is getting more narrow-minded than the last one. In Germany hundreds of thousands asylum seekers have landed and since the country cannot cope to accommodate all of them fairly, many are kept in large halls. A couple of days ago two groups started fighting and over 30 people were hurt. Many were from Pakistan and the reason was not accepting other cultures and how they live. And they come to a non Muslim country and want to impose their way of life.

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