PESHAWAR: Zafar Ali from Buner district, one of the qualified candidates for the post of teaching assistant, has accused Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government of inducting 70 candidates in the education department in violation of merit and neglecting him for unknown reasons.

Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, he said he had master degree in political science from Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, and had appeared in written examination for the post on June 27, 2014.

“I got second position in the entire district and third position in the province, but even then I was not selected for the post,” he added.

“Most colleges in the province are in need of teaching assistants (lecturers) but the higher education department is reluctant to follow merit policy,” he said.

Mr Ali said that he frequently visited offices of the relevant officials of education department, minister for education, minister for higher education and minority minister (who belongs to Buner), but none of them paid him due attention.

He said it was astonishing that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak were repeatedly claiming to pursue merit policy but his case was live example of sheer violation of merit.

He said his father was unable to work any longer due to his old age, and he had no other source of income, but the government was not giving him his right because he had no ‘sifarish’.

He threatened to set his degree on fire and commit suicide outside the Peshawar Press Club if he was not given justice.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2015

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