Over 70% federal jobs for minorities still vacant

PPP’s Farhatullah Babar seeks action against ‘indolent’ officers

ISLAMABAD: In 52 federal departments, more than 70% posts reserved for non-Muslims and over 58% set aside for the differently abled are yet to be filled.

The figures presented before parliament last month revealed that around 8,126 posts for non-Muslims and 4,516 for special people in ministries, divisions, attached departments and autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies are still vacant.

The report said 3,268 differently abled people and 2,447 non-Muslims were currently employed at various federal departments. “An estimated 11,573 posts can be sanctioned under the 5% quota reserved for non-Muslims and 7,784 reserved under the 2% quota for special people.”

All these posts can be filled by the centre under the Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation) Ordinance of 1981, Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Barjees Tahir informed the lawmakers.

The official figures showed that the sanctioned strength of jobs in federal departments is around 390,278.

Some 57,866 general posts ranging between grade-1 and grade-22 in various ministries, autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies, divisions and multiple authorities are yet to be filled, revealed the figures obtained from the Establishment Division, the main body dealing with posts under the centre’s jurisdiction.

Around 320 posts reserved for Punjab, 240 for Sindh, 220 for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and 80 for Balochistan are also still vacant, the report said.

In response to a query, Tahir said the government had imposed a ban on recruitments but Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later lifted the ban and directed the Establishment Division to fill all the vacant posts.

MPs from different political parties condemned the government’s “apathy” as regards not filling “thousands of federal posts lying vacant since decades”.

Farhatullah Babar of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) requested Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani to take up the issue because it affects the families of special persons and minority communities, “who are already facing discrimination”. He sought action against “indolent” officers.

Talha Mahmood of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl accused government officials of taking bribes to fill the reserved posts. He called for an investigation into the recently filled federal posts.

Amar Jeet of the Awami National Party criticised the government for “breaking its social contract with the minority communities”. Tahir of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz assured the lawmakers that the government would soon fill the reserved seats.

Non-Muslims hired in 4 years

The government has hired 208 non-Muslims in the Frontier Corps Balochistan in the past four years. With these appointments, which include Hindus, Christians and Ahmadis, the number of non-Muslims in the paramilitary force has gone up from 644 to 852 – perhaps the highest number of minorities in any paramilitary force working under the interior ministry.

Figures obtained from the office of record officer Lt Col Asif Jamal revealed that 53 non-Muslims were inducted in 2011, 78 in 2012, 57 in 2013 and 20 last year in the Frontier Corps Balochistan.

Sindh Rangers recruited 44 non-Muslims between 2012 and 2014, according to the figures obtained from the Pakistan Rangers headquarters in Karachi, while Punjab Rangers has recruited 24 Christians for various stations since 2011.

The National Database & Registration Authority hired 161 non-Muslims between 2011 and 2012 in all four provinces and the federal capital, while the Islamabad Capital Territory recruited 12 non-Muslims in the same period.

Seven sanitary workers were recruited in Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts between 2005 and 2013. All of them were posted at the G-B Scouts headquarters.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2015.