Clutching their files and applications, 76 men who had applied for the post of police constables, sat in the hall of the Khursheed Begum Secretariat as a leader from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) presented their case to the media.
"The Pakistan Peoples Party is killing merit and is giving jobs only to those who belong to the party or who have the money," said MQM's Waseem Akhtar. "If it continues to do this, then it won't be difficult for the MQM to shut down Karachi."
According to Akhtar, the candidates - young, educated and competitive, had fulfilled all the requirements for a police constable by clearing all tests and interviews, and had been shortlisted in the final lists. However, they never got an appointment letter.
Akhtar claimed that the PPP hated Mohajirs, the MQM and people from other ethnic backgrounds and this is why people were suffering. He said that many of the applicants were from different ethnicities and were being rejected only because they had applied from Karachi or Hyderabad.
"They should be brought into the police instead of the criminals who are present in the force," he said. "These candidates are honest people who are voluntarily joining the police. They are people who had their cell phones snatched and were victims to other crimes." He added that the chief minister of Sindh should issue a letter and they should get jobs immediately.
Candidate Imtiaz Awan, who hails from Mianwali but lives in Karachi, said that he has been trying for five years to get into the police force. "I passed all tests," he said. "Also got a positive response that a medical letter would be issued but it never happened."
Sajid Ali, who is a Baloch, said that when they protested against this, they were locked up at the Artillery Maiden police station. The candidates claimed that they were being asked to pay Rs 280,000 for a job.
Meanwhile, responding to a question about the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) strike in Karachi planned for December 12, Akhtar said that if the PTI protests within the limits of the law and Constitution, then it could do as it pleased.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2014.
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One is from Mianwali and another one is a Baloch, how do they expect to get a job in SINDH police that only take candidates who have domicile from SINDH!! And what if the opening was only for people with Sindh RURAL domicile, what are they complaining against then?