The Supreme Court (SC) has expressed concern over federal, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan governments not recruiting minorities to the 30,000 vacant government sector jobs allocated for the country’s non-Muslim citizens.
A three-member bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to the Rahim Yar Khan Hindu temple attack.
During the course of proceedings, Shoaib Suddle, who heads the one-man commission formed to look into the attack, informed the court that 5% quota was allocated for minorities in government sector jobs. “The government job quota for minorities does not specify Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, or others,” Suddle said.
“There are currently 30,000 vacant jobs slots for minorities across the country,” he added.
The SC, while expressing its concern, remarked that the court had been informed that the federal, Punjab, KP and Balochistan governments were not recruiting minorities according to the quota.
The apex bench also directed that the federal government and the provincial chief secretaries should cooperate with the Suddle-led commission and the relevant authorities should take prompt action on minority employment issues and submit a report in this regard.
The top court also acknowledged that the Rahim Yar Khan Temple had been rebuilt following the attack.
On August 5, dozens of people reportedly vandalised a Hindu temple in the town of Bhong and blocked the Sukkur-Multan Motorway after an eight-year-old Hindu boy, who allegedly urinated in a local seminary, was granted bail by a local court.
Police then rounded up 52 suspects, including the main accused, involved in the vandalising of the temple.
Local philanthropist Raees Munir Ahmed has donated 10 kanals for setting up a police station in Bhong, the SC noted.
It added that Raees Munir was ready to give another 25 acres as a gift for the construction of Sadiqabad Interchange on Multan-Sukkur Motorway.
The apex bench stated that the chairman of the National Highway Authority (NHA) and the planning secretary should appear in person at the next hearing and inform the court about the construction of the Sadiqabad Interchange. The CJP also asked the NHA chairman if he had seen the condition of motorways and highways.
“I have been told that, on paper, the Chitral-Gilgit Highway had been constructed three times. In Sindh, the motorway is just in name. There are no restrooms on the Multan-Sukkur Motorway,” the CJP observed.
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