Sindh Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act has lost its credibility
QAMBAR-SHAHDADKOT DISTRICT: In Pakistan, it has been a norm of the organisational culture to disregard fundamental human rights and sacrifice merit at the altar of personal relations. So in keeping with this trend the Sindh Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act has lost its credibility. A few days ago, the Sindh Ombudsman office, under the Act, held screening and written tests for different posts. It recommended 16 candidates for interviews for the posts of computer operator. I was one of them.
When I came to know that the Ombudsman had offered joining letter to a candidate, I contacted the chairman of the relevant department and requested him to declare the interview criteria, names of qualified candidates and their education and districts, the number of seats on the official website or Facebook page. He said that he could not do so because it was against the department rules. He didn’t even verbally share the aforesaid information, making lame excuses.
I am of the view that the whole drama was staged so that the officers might recruit their own blue-eyed candidates. The interview was just eyewash for others. Therefore, I constitutionally demand my basic right to information and request the caretaker chief minister of Sindh, the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court to look into the issue and get the interviews re-conducted for selection on the basis of merit. Otherwise students, who work hard day and night, will think that their hard work is useless unless they have connections with influential people.
Ghulam Shabeer
Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2018.
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