PPP, MQM-P trade barbs over quota system after SHC annuls recruitment

• Locals should be recruited on Grade 1-15 govt posts: Khalid Maqbool.
• Sharjeel declares Khalid-led party "responsible for provincial issues".
• SHC declared Sindh govt's appointments "unlawful" in June 30 ruling.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Mutthida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Monday exchanged blows over quota system for government jobs, once again, and levelled serious allegations at each other.

The exchange of harsh statements triggered by the Sindh High Court (SHC) recent verdict to declare the entire recruitment process — carried out by the PPP-led government before February 8 elections — unlawful on June 30 besides annulling all appointments in government departments and autonomous bodies.

In a press conference today, MQM-P Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that locals should be recruited on Grade 1 to 15 posts and praised the SHC’s ruling on the matter.

Siddiqui claimed that the court gave a hope to the youth via its ruling to stop recruitment in the Sindh government departments based on “ethnicity”. He blamed the ruling PPP for “dividing the masses” via the quota system.

Addressing the same press conference, MQM-P’s Dr Farooq Sattar said that the quota system had been introduced to recruit 60% people from rural parts and 40% from urban areas including Karachi and Hyderabad.

“We failed to stop misuse of the quota system continued for 50 years as more than 80% of jobs were not given to citizens from urban parts,” he added. He termed the SHC’s verdict a “MQM-P’s victory”.

He also demanded the Supreme Court to take suo-motu action over non-implementation of Article 140-A despite its ruling.

Responding to MQM-P’s allegations, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon slammed the former for “starting politics of hate and bias” and declared the Khalid-led party “responsible for majority of provincial issues”.

Memon demanded the quota system which gives opportunities to masses living in far-flung areas of Sindh. He also asked the MQM-P leaders to refrain from politics of hatred.

The minister demanded Kamran Tessori to immediately step down as Sindh governor as they don’t want to see "spread of hate" in the province.

Last week, allowing the MQM-P’s lawsuit that challenged the Sindh government’s advertisements for fresh appointments prior to expiry of previous government, an SHC single bench headed by Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput ordered that any job acquired in view of such advertisement process or otherwise is to be scrapped, declared as null and void and of no legal effect.

The court ordered that in future no recruitment will be made on the basis of any walk-in interview by the government, The News reported.

It further ruled that the Sindh government must ensure that jobs are be filled according to applicable urban and rural quota in the ratio of 40:60 in respect of appointments under Sindh Civil Servants (appointment, promotion and transfer) Rules 1974.