Missing the quota

Postings in our missions in other countries are highly prized. Pakistan has 117 foreign missions costing Rs9.8 billion in 2013 and Rs48.8 billion over the last six years to maintain. This number will drop over time as the government is engaged on a programme of cutbacks that will disappoint many an aspiring officer. Currently, there are 2,354 employees spread around the world, according to Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in a written reply to a question in the National Assembly. There is a quota system through which these posts are supposedly allocated and an examination of current appointments reveals that once again the people of Balochistan are the losers. Balochistan is supposed to get six per cent — 130 of these plum posts — but the reality is that Balochistan residents are filling only one per cent.

The apparent discrepancy has been taken up by MNA Abdul Qahar Wadan of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party who may suspect that Balochistan is not getting its share of the diplomatic postings cake. The key to understanding why there is a discrepancy may lie with a statement from the Foreign Office Spokesperson, Tasnim Aslam. She states that the quota is “observed at the time of initial recruitment” but subsequent postings are on the basis of merit, languages and availability of vacant posts. In there, we see the likelihood of an erosion over time of appointments of those domiciled in Balochistan; which in itself may be a reflection of Balochistan residents failing to meet the standards required for prestigious postings abroad. This may also be a reflection of the lack of educational facilities in the province and part of a wider picture of neglect and deprivation. These reasons, however, do not detract from the underlying sense of grievance that runs deep and bitter across the entire province. No government in the last 30 years has done much to ameliorate the plight of the Baloch people and there is little sign that the current dispensation will fare any better.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2014.

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