HYDERABAD: Speakers at a Minority Youth Convention (MYC) called for ending discrimination against minorities and implementation of their quota in jobs and admissions to universities and other educational institutions throughout the country.

Held at the Hyderabad Press Club on Sunday, the convention was organised by Malhi Social Development Organisation (MSDO) in collaboration with Marvi Institute of Research and Advocacy (MIRA) in which more than 200 students of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Jamshoro, University of Sindh Jamshoro, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) Jamshoro, Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam and others took an active part and presented proposals.

A student of the English department of Sindh University Jamshoro, Rajesh Malhi, said there was five per cent quota in jobs, but unfortunately, it was never implemented so far.

“Students from minorities can obtain admission to Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad on the basis of minority quota, unfortunately they cannot secure admission on the basis of minority quota in varsities of Sindh,” he added.

Universities had admission quota for women, armed personnel, Hafiz Quran, candidates having Kashmir’s domicile, candidates from other provinces, but there was no room for minority memebers, Malhi said.

A student of LUMHS, Dev Das, said that every university had funds like Zakat for financial support to minority students, but those universities did not release such funds to religious minority students.

Deputy commissioner of each district maintained a fund for minority students, but neither was it released to any student, nor was it spent for welfare of any member of minority communities.

Besides, various activities were held on the campuses of universities, but unfortunately students of
minorities were deliberately neglected in this regard, Dev Das said.

An MUET student, Deepak Kumar, said minority students were not allotted hostels on priority.

“Despite kidnapping of four MUET students, no security is being provided to Hindu students in universities,” he said, neither the university took any appropriate measures to recover those abducted students.

Kishore Kumar, a student of Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, said that minority students were being discriminated in terms of class, admission and representation at any forum of the university.

“There are 10 hostels on the campus of the university and each hostel has separate mosques but no temple for Hindu students despite funds have been approved for the construction of a temple on the campus,” he added.

Social activist, M Parkash, said the issues and problems faced by minorities could be resolved if the youth started making a struggle. He pleaded for rights of minority students as they were also citizens of the country.

Sindh Porhiyat Council president Punhal Sario said the youth of minority communities should be united for their rights. “People from the minority are not promoted to higher positions if they fortunately get a chance in getting jobs in any department or private organisations,” he said.

Hindus in Tharparkar district were living in majority, but many of them did not have house or plot despite passing of 68 years in the country, he said.

Women Action Forum (WAF) activist Haseena Mussarat and others also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play