This is with reference to the letter ‘Bangladesh example has to be followed’ (July 26). The recent chaos in Bangladesh owes its origin to the quota system in government jobs where a third of public- sector jobs are reserved for the families of 1971 war veterans and ‘freedom fighters’ whose third generation is now enjoying the benefits.

The protesters — most of them being students — believe that the quota system is discriminatory and are asking for merit to be allowed to prevail.

What started with peaceful protests on university campuses took an ugly turn and more than a hundred lives have been lost.

I do not want to draw a parallel between the quota system of Bangladesh with that in Sindh, but both such parallels cannot be denied. In Sindh, it separates rural and urban parts of the province, which has created a rural-urban divide and resulted in several ethnic riots over the years. It does require reconsideration by relevant quarters to avert a situation similar to what has been happening in Bangladesh.

Malik ul Quddoos
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2024