By: Iqra Safdar
It is famously said by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy:
“Writing laws is easy, but governing is difficult.”
This saying of Tolstoy absolutely fits on current situation of Pakistan in terms of quota system. Going back quota System in Pakistan was introduced by the then Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in 1948 to address the issues of people from East Pakistan because they were not been given their due share in resources. East Bengal, which accounted for 56.75% of the population, got a share of 42% in services which added to their grievances against the central government. Similarly, Karachi with a population of around one million in 1951 got a mere 2% share and 15% share for migrants. Punjab was allocated 24% quota against 28% population and all other provinces, including the former princely states got 17% quota against 13.75% population. So quota system was and is mainly linked to the population of a province.
Now also quota system in Pakistan is according to the population of four provinces and other areas including Azad Jammu Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan. Balochistan having the least population among the provinces has the quota accordingly on federal level and similarly Punjab having the highest rate of population has most seats. But problem arises when this quota system is manipulated by some forces with vested interests. Domicile is a document showing your belonging to a particular district of a particular province on the basis of which you apply for government job or get admission in public sector institutions. People with vested anti-social interests make more than one domicile from two or more than two provinces for getting undue benefits and opportunities as domicile is the only basis for verifying the belonging of a person to a particular province. For example, local services ought to go to the original residents of certain areas on the basis of merit but those belonging to other districts having strong political links with influential people and they are able to obtain domicile on the basis of recommendations of MPS and MNA and succeed in getting employment at the cost of genuine but less privileged candidates.
Moreover, some areas which declared as backward with regard to professional and educational facilities and students belonging to those backward areas cannot compete for admission in professional institutions with those of the privileged class; some seats are reserved for students of less privileged regions. Here to, affluent and influential people, belonging to urban areas, manage to usurp the right of poor by using underhand methods and acquiring domiciles of backward areas. Similarly, on the basis of domicile, thus obtained they register themselves as voters, while their names in the voters list also exist on their permanent addresses. This system of holding double domicile/NIC from different areas is more dangerous since it deprives genuine people of their rights.
The province which is afflicted with great misery in the hands of such unlawful act is Balochistan. Balochistan having least populations has least competition so people from other provinces tend to move towards Balochistan and get the domicile of Balochistan as the residents and enjoy the rights as the permanent citizen of Balochistan. This exploitation is ruining the future of people of Balochistan. Recently Establishment Division reports find that in past 6 months 9023 people are appointed from Balochistan on federal and divisional seats and still some 4095 posts are lying vacant. But nobody knows these ‘Balochis’ who are been appointed. It is also reported that fake domiciles are issued from Quetta, Loralai, Qila Saifullah and Musa Khel. The people having fake domiciles from these areas are posted on federal seats and most of them belong to Punjab. Employees having fake domiciles are working in National Asembly, Senate, Foreign Office and Interior Ministry There is a great tension prevailing among the real residents of Balochistan who are settled there since long.People from other provinces just for having advantage of jobs, education or feeding some other interest get Balochistan domicile and after fulfilment of their interest use to go back from Balochistan.This is turning to a mafia day by day.
The worst thing here is government has failed to give any attention to this matter whether it’s Balochistan government or Federal government. Everyone knows it is immoral to keep two domiciles but governments run on written and implemented laws not merely on moral values. Moral values need laws to be implemented. There is no proper framework given in law neither any verification system that if a person is trying to make another domicile from other province then concerned authorities get that quickly. For such a grave government’s failure future of youth is getting dismantle.
Government needs to probe this matter at the earliest by disseminating the matter with all the stakeholders, and policy makers should be brought to table for sorting out the issue. There should be standard operating procedure SOPs while making a domicile which needs to be sternly followed. Efforts should be make on legislative level by debating this on the floor of the assembly with representatives of every province and should be solved in the best interest of the real residents of people of any province so that it cannot take head again in future.
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