On paper: Quotas may be increased, but minorities’ job woes continue

Activist say favourtism and corruption dominate job appointments .

PESHAWAR: Tired of being discriminated against, minority activists in the city warned the Khyber-Pakthunkhwa (K-P) government they would take to the streets if they were not ensured their allotted quota in provincial government jobs.

Education authorities in Bannu recently appointed 269 primary school teachers (PST) for the district, but the 3% quota for minorities was ignored, they claimed.

“We are going to start an organised protest if we’re not assured of our rights,” All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement Chairman Haroon Sarbdyal told The Express Tribune.

He slammed the authorities for ignoring minorities in Bannu and elaborated that three Hindus and a Christian applied on the quota several months ago, but not one of them was hired.

He said that under the 3% quota, nine of the 269 seats should be for minorities, but only four of them applied. “All of them are highly capable individuals who should be appointed on merit.”

In K-P, there are around 47,000 Hindus, 125,000 Christians, 15,000 Sikhs, 4,223 Kalash tribesmen and nine Bahai families who can apply for the government job quota.

Minorities have demanded it be increased to 5%. Minority leader Sarbdyal also suggested the government enforce the implementation of the quota, adding that it should be mentioned in job advertisements.

The Bannu educational department had to fill 269 positions for teachers in the educational department and the latest recruitment was hailed as a “gift” for the unemployed people of the province.

Sarbdyal believes they have been intentionally kept in these conditions. “We have not been allowed to progress and change our future,” he said. “Minorities have been limited mainly to janitorial work and class-IV jobs.”

Waqas Ishaq, a Christian candidate for a teacher position on the quota, said he is a graduate and also passed the test and interview. “I have been going to educational officers for the last two months, but they keep postponing the matter,” he said. “Favouritism and corruption usually dictate who fills these positions.”

On the other hand, Sant Kumar, a member of the Human Rights Development, a local organisation working in Swat, said the situation was similar everywhere in the province. “Since 2009 in Mingora, teachers belonging to minorities have not been appointed at any primary school.”

According to activists, previously the minorities’ job quota in K-P was 0.5%, which was increased to 1% during the ANP regime. When the PTI took power last year, the quota was increased to 3%, yet officials fail to implement it.

“Children from the minorities have given up studying as they only expect to be hired as janitors in some government or non-governmental organisation,” said Kumar.

The activists demanded the minorities quota should be introduced in youth development and other projects initiated by the government. “Until the rights of minorities are not protected, there will be a lack of interfaith harmony and mutual respect,” asserted Sarbdyal.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2014.