A lawyer in Lahore attempted to set himself on fire on Saturday after he was refused a district prosecutor's job even though, he claimed, he was "qualified for the post on merit".
Mohammad Bilal, who hails from Multan, poured petrol on himself outside the Lahore registry of the Supreme Court, but was stopped and taken into custody by police personnel before he could light the fire.

The lawyer was then quickly bundled into a police van and taken to the old Anarkali Police Station.
Bilal, who had turned up outside the top court with a letter addressed to Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, claimed that he was not recommended for the position of district prosecutor even though he had cleared the examination through the Punjab Public Service Commission and the following interview as well.
"I have been going from pillar to post to get justice," he said.
"I urge the chief justice to grant me justice," the disturbed young man had pleaded.
Comments (28) Closed
Doesn't the law of the land permit you any recourse to seek justice, or breaking the law of the land by trying to show that you will commit suicide if not given the job the only way left to you?
I went in depression when I was not selected for the post of manager after clearing my test and stood 2nd in exam. I was told in interview where is your MS degree. I replied such requirement wasn't mentioned in your advertisement, he said no it is required.
Until the parchi culture is gone, Pakistan and Pakistanis won't move forward
There is no merit so far. PTI will bring merit but will take time
If lawyers are not getting justice and they are going from pillar to post, what about common people of Pakistan. CJ and prime minister to take of notice of such situations of common people. I myself has faced such injustice many times while applying for post but nobody listened me.
If true this is very sad saga and should be investigated by the appropriate authorities. However I do not approve of his actions and the example that it sets for others. As a lawyer he should have used legal and moral means to seek redress for his perceived grievances. Such behaviour indicates that he is not a fit person to acquire this position as he can be compromised when under pressure.Right means and channels must be used whatever the compelling circumstances.
I would be surprised if he get any post after this act let alone a district prosecutor.
This is nothing but unbecoming of a lawyer who lost the self discipline...
This man is going to defend the law, when he wants to start his career by breaking it.
He should calm down and start looking after his health . Things well turn round better eventually.
Not a pleasant story. However, for the sake of clarity to the public, needs to be investigated.
This is the reality of our recruiting system where an exam along with an interview is taken as a mere formality to hide the corrupt system lying in the background. When a common person clears all of the required formalities he is directly ejected with no logical reason and there is no one to care for the tragedy being endured by the victim.
How can an hyper emotional man be trusted with such a post that requires a calm, cool, rational and a sober mind. Because he had passed the exam and attended an interview, he believes that he was the sole person who deserved the job. There are disappointments in life, it is an integeral part of life, one keeps fighting for justice in the hope that he / she will win one day.
A similar thing happened to me while applying for a public sector org in Punjab. I was asked to submit 15lakh rupees which I couldn't arrange despite my merit. The seat went uncontested to a close relative of then minister dealing PFA.
We want lawyers to be calm and content not lunatics, but on the other hand he has been deliberately enraged because backstabbing is common between lawyers too! Hence 1.8 million cases of a backlog.
This lawyer throug his actions only confirms that he is unfit to be the member of the bar. In the larger public interest he should be commited to mental health institution and his licence to practice law must be revoked perminantly.
Sad.
the punjab public service commission has very fair and merit based system; sifarish or pirchi culture is not possible; the said lawyer is on no# 88 on the list of the "not recommended candidates"; how is it possible that a person who falls on number 88 on the recommended was specifically denied selection when there are total ''573 not recommended candidates and 173 failed candidates? 146 prosecutors are recommended while 23 seats have remained vacant as the ppsc could not find suitable candidates to fill those vacant seats; the said lawyer should have tried next time by overcoming his deficiencies instead of creating this drama.
The jobless position in Sindh and specially in Karachi is extremely worse.Please scrutinise the record of last 5 years and everyone will know how people got Sindh government jobs thru parchi or purchasing the job.
In Tunisia, one such act of self immolation, where the individual died, started the revolution. In Pakistan, we see such 'attempts' or threats of such acts to such an extent that they have lost their effectiveness.
If you are not stable enough to take a rejection then you are not stable enough to be in this critical position.
He is really unfit for such a job requiring lot of nerves.
Many Candidates clear CSS interview and still not get recommended, should they also set ablaze themselves? This is not the solution, that is why they say toiling is the key to success
@Amir Do not speak without inquring about the matter. PPSC is by far the most credible commission which has upheld merit despite many obstacles. PPSC selected Assistant Director Public Prosecution on merit as my two friends got allocated. Both of them were highly qualified and one of them managed to top the exam. It is so sad that people cannot digest failure. I was not selected for the post of Deputy Superintendent Jail. The one who has topped the ADPP exam this time, was also not selected and fell short by just one number. Still he worked hard and got allocation. I myself managed to get allocation in my subsequent attempt. So please stop this non sense. Last time Cheif Justice order reinterview of Judges through a sue moto action. Probably the offender is trying to get relief through another suo moto. But in that case the candidate was a blind qualifier who was failed in interview because of his disability. This is entirely another case. I would suggest Mr Bilal to work hard and hard
I have seen graduates employed as ward boys and too on ad-hoc basis.
This is what happens in iks rule.
There were probably dozens of applicants who were qualified for the post on merit. They can't all get the job.
Sad for our educated youngs to go thru hard time to find a decent job. Hopefully, PTI has enough politicians who care about Pakistan and young population of our country rather than their own families. Indeed, PMLN has set a bad example for our graduates.