KARACHI:
With the exception of the Provincial Management Service (PMS) examination, almost all Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission (KPPSC) recruitment tests are conducted only in Peshawar. As a result, candidates from far-flung districts such as Chitral, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Upper and Lower Kohistan, Kurram, Swat and other remote areas are compelled to travel hundreds of kilometres merely to appear in a written test. Since most applicants are unemployed, they have to bear substantial expenses on transportation, accommodation, food and local travel, placing an unnecessary financial burden on those already struggling economically.
What makes this policy even more difficult to justify is that the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) successfully conducts its examinations in multiple cities, including Dera Ismail Khan and other divisional headquarters. If FPSC can provide candidates with accessible examination centres across the country, why cannot KPPSC adopt a similar model within the province?
I respectfully urge the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary and the KPPSC authorities to establish examination centres at divisional headquarters or other major regional cities. Such a step would promote equal opportunity, reduce financial hardship and ensure fair access to public employment for all candidates.
Shumail Habib
Dera Ismail Khan
