THIS refers to a job advertisement by Port Qasim Authority (PQA) (April 23). It is indeed ironic that out of nine positions advertised, the domicile requirement for four posts is from Punjab and for one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

For the remaining four positions, the requirement is ‘merit’. It is a travesty of merit that the native professionals of the largest metropolitan port city and business capital of Pakistan, where the PQA is located, have not been preferred for these positions.

Any capable, competent person has the right to apply for any job opening from anywhere in Pakistan, but in this particular case the absolute absurdity is that majority of candidates are being preferred from where no port or port authority exists.

Can the port-related technical experience and expertise of people residing in the landlocked areas of Punjab and KP match that of the inhabitants of Karachi or even Gwadar?

This is gross injustice to the deserving people of Karachi, and the newly-inducted five federal ministers hailing from Karachi should eradicate this anomaly without delay so that relevant government professionals are hired only on the basis of merit and transparency.

Umar M. Makhdumi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2022