ISLAMABAD: Senator Poonjo Bheel on Wednesday expressed strong reservations over the recruitment process at Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), alleging a clear violation of the provincial quota system guaranteed under Article 38 (g) of the Constitution.

The lawmaker told Senate panel that the appointments at the council were heavily skewed in favour of candidates from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He argued that this lopsided selection process effectively deprived qualified applicants from Sindh and Balochistan of their constitutionally mandated share in federal employment.

The Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research met at Parliament House to review matters relating to recent recruitments made at the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC).

Responding to the concerns, PARC representatives informed the committee that four to five candidates from Sindh had already been appointed purely on merit and emphasised that the organisation had no intention of discriminating against the smaller provinces.

The committee was further informed that interviews for candidates belonging to Sindh and Balochistan would be conducted during the following week.

While explaining the recruitment mechanism, PARC officials stated that written tests were being conducted separately in all four provinces in phases.

However, the panel recommended that the results of candidates from all provinces should be announced and published simultaneously instead of on a province-by-province basis to ensure transparency and avoid any perception of discrimination.

The body was assured that all appointments were being made strictly on merit. PARC officials further informed the committee that a coordinated propaganda campaign had allegedly been launched against the organisation, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate and malign the recruitment results.

The committee recommended that showcause notices be issued to any employees found involved in such malicious activities.

The chairman directed PARC to submit, at the next meeting, complete details of the appointing authority responsible for making and approving appointments.

He also directed the department to provide a comprehensive list of the 105 candidates whose interviews are still pending, along with all relevant details. The Committee was informed that all 230 positions were advertised through national newspapers as well as the official PARC website. The recruitment test was conducted by the third-party Candidates Testing Services (CTS).

It was further briefed that the top five candidates for each post were shortlisted for interviews. To date, appointment letters have been issued to 125 candidates, while the cases of 105 candidates are still pending. The meeting was attended by Senators Rahat Jamali, Shahadat Awan, and Poonjo Bheel.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2026