Youth allege graft in issuance of domiciles

Youngsters seeking jobs in Jhelum have urged the government to abolish the condition of submitting domicile certificates when applying for jobs, complaining that bribes demanded by officials to make such documents not only complicate a simple process but also makes it expensive.

Educated but unemployed youngsters in Jhelum said that wherever they go for a job - especially in the government sector, a domicile document is demanded. The certificate had been introduced in 1951 under the Citizenship Act which aimed to issue citizenship certificates to people who had migrated from India.

It was also used to ensure that the quota system for government jobs is fairly implemented. However, young job-seekers said that obtaining this simple document has become quite problematic. They said that they are made to visit the relevant government offices again and again while their case does not proceed until they grease the palms of the relevant officials.

This has not only made a relatively straightforward process cumbersome but also expensive. A youngster outside the domicile office said that the official cost of making the domicile is at least Rs500 to Rs1000. Because they have to bribe the officials to get their certificate, this cost is compounded and can even rise to multiples of the original.

He added that after the introduction of the computerised national identity cards (CNICs) which include the permanent address of the individual and the records include a family tree, the condition of submitting a domicile certificate is not only redundant but completely unnecessary.

Others said that last year, locals had demanded that the condition of submitting domiciles should be abolished and that the Punjab government had also decided to remove the requirement given the ease with which fake domiciles could be obtained and verification issues surrounding it. Despite the promises, they said the government had failed to do follow through with its decision.