LAHORE, July 1: Scores of candidates who have passed the last held Central Superior Services examination have criticised the federal government decision to change the declared quota to give jobs to women hopefuls.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, the candidates termed the decision illegal and an attempt to rob those of the jobs who had put in extraordinary effort to qualify for them through a countrywide competitive examination.

They demanded the government should withdraw the decision and implement the new policy from next year, while drawing the attention of the prime minister to what they called an unjust move.

According to them, the CSS examination in which they appeared began in May, 2006, after declaration of the job quota. Around 272 candidates, including women, qualified the examination whose final result was declared on March 20, 2007.

But, they said, the Federal Public Service Commission issued a press note on May 18, 2007, to announce implementation of a new job quota with retrospective effect, giving 10 per cent seats to women in all provinces, and reducing the merit share from 10 to just 7.50 per cent.

This meant that 40 seats of the qualifying candidates would directly go to women who lagged behind in the competitive examination in addition to the seats they would get through open merit.

The candidates said the new job quota for women was got approved by the National Assembly through a bill. But it too had not as yet become an act of the parliament as the senate was yet to ratify it, they added.

They said if the government wanted to induct more women in the public sector it must implement the policy next year instead of robbing the qualifying candidates of their right.