Law minister terms job quota un-Islamic

Farogh Naseem vows to take matter to cabinet next week

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Farogh Naseem has termed the job quota system un-Islamic, saying Supreme Court larger bench and Federal Shariat Court have already termed it un-Islamic.

Addressing a Senate Functional Committee on Government Assurances meeting, chaired by its Chairman Tahir Bizenjo, on Friday, the law minister said, “When the rural and urban job quota is the same in Punjab, then why it is separate in Sindh? I will take the matter of bringing amendment to the quota system to the cabinet as well as the Supreme Court next week.”

“If there is no quota system in Punjab, why is there one in Sindh? In Punjab, central and southern areas are separate,” said Naseem.

The minister claimed that the job quota was being misused in Sindh, saying take out the data regarding appointments during the last 11 years, “it will be known as to how much wrongdoings have been committed”.

“All inductions have been done from rural Sindh,” he said, claiming that the people of rural Sindh were appointed on fake domiciles.

He said that the SC larger bench and Shariat Court’s verdicts wherein the job quota had been declared un-Islamic were present.

Chairman Bizenjo inquired whether the appointments made during the last 40 years were un-Islamic.

The law minister replied, “Indeed they are un-Islamic and it is compulsory for us to implement the courts’ decisions.”

He said the solution to it was that the matter be taken to the SC again.

Senator Maulvi Faiz Muhammad said quota system was important because the ones studying in private and government schools could never be equal, which was why, the “people of the area should be given importance in jobs”.

“The true beneficial of the jobs are the people of the area,” said Naseem. “Unfortunately, the bureaucrats, who come from these areas, are not willing to go back. Not every officer is willing to go to cities other than Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.”

Naseem said it was necessary for the people to focus on their areas to ensure development.

The committee members were of the view that the job quota system should not be rolled back, saying the people who framed the Constitution “must have a good reason for including it”.

“We will wait for the cabinet decision, before taking ours.”