QUETTA: A PML-Q member of the Balochistan Assembly has said that thousands of positions are lying vacant in the province and urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch to issue orders for starting recruitments immediately.

Dr Ruqaiya Saeed Hashmi said that thousands of youths were without jobs in Balochistan and added that merit should be the sole criterion for making appointments.

Dr Hashmi, a former provincial minister, in a statement on Friday criticised the government for delay in starting recruitments against seats lying vacant for the past two years.

She pointed out that more than 4,000 seats had been reserved in fiscal year 2013-14 and another 4,000 in fiscal year 2014-15, but the government’s inaction was contributing to joblessness because appointments were not being made against these posts.

Ms Hashmi said that delegations of highly qualified male and female job-seekers had met her and complained against the unannounced ban on appointments.

She lamented that even the non-governmental organisations and donor agencies based in Quetta were violating law by recruiting Karachi-domiciled people instead of giving jobs to residents of Balochistan.

She said seats reserved under the Aghaz-i-Huqooq-i-Balochistan package had also not been filled yet.

Published in Dawn, September 20th , 2014