ISLAMABAD: After lively debate on the pros and cons of such a move, the National Assembly on Tuesday referred the question of creating a separate quota for Islamabad in government jobs and educational institutions to the Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat.

The subject was brought up by Islamabad MNA Asad Umar, who moved a resolution calling for debate on a “separate quota for domicile holders of Islamabad in federal government services”.

“Is it good for national cohesion if the federal capital is considered part of one province for a specific purpose (seat allocation in jobs and educational institutions)?” the former Engro Corp CEO asked, rhetorically.

“If you ask me personally, I don’t think quotas should exist. Everything should be done on merit. But right now, they do exist, and it seems unjust that a city like Islamabad does not have the same rights that are available to the other provinces.”

He also claimed that the Punjab Public Service Commission had no provision for Islamabad residents.

Since the resolution was opposed by Sheikh Aftab, the minister for parliamentary affairs, the speaker opened the house for debate, which saw members of nearly all parties voicing their opinion on the issue.

Amendment to extend constitutional quotas imminent; MNAs call for bifurcating capital’s share from Punjab’s quota

Initiating debate on the motion, PPP’s Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho stated that the capital “is home to a diaspora of people from all provinces. They should have a separate status; you’ve already given Islamabad a local government, then why not their own share in the pool of jobs as well?”

She said that any job within the capital should go to the people residing here, especially lower cadre positions.

PTI chief whip Dr Shireen Mazari complained that Islamabad was “grouped with Rawalpindi when it was convenient”, and the twin cities were “separated when it was inconvenient”.

“There is no reserved seat for women in Islamabad. If you are a registered voter in the capital, you aren’t eligible for a reserved seat anywhere in Punjab. The women of Islamabad have been disenfranchised.”

PML-N’s Arifa Khalid Parvez said that all provinces should have a share when it comes to jobs in Islamabad. “The capital belongs to the entire country, so everyone should have a share in it.”

JUI-F’s Naeema Kishwar Khan was of the view that since people of all provinces lived in Islamabad, it is unfair to link it to Punjab. “The people of Islamabad have access to better facilities and are better educated as compared to the people of Fata, who have been left behind,” the legislator from Mardan observed.

PTI’s Ali Mohammad Khan, however, made a case against the quota system. “If you want to truly emancipate someone, you must make them self-sufficient. The disadvantages of a quota system are evident in the treatment meted out to our sisters in parliament who are elected on reserved seats. I ask you, are they given equal treatment? Are they not reminded at every step that they did not win an election?”

He continued: “Quotas are meant to facilitate the underprivileged. Peasants and labourers, who are the real underprivileged class, have no representation in parliament. Either [quotas] should be abolished on principle, or they should be extended to everyone.”

This viewpoint was also endorsed by his party colleague, Sheheryar Khan Afridi.

But PTI’s Ayesha Gulalai supported Asad Umar’s resolution, adding that as it was also a federal-ruled area, the people of Fata should also be given a share in the federal capital territory’s quota of jobs and educational opportunities. She deplored that no quotas, be they for minorities, women, or transgender people, were assigned or implemented by the government.

MQM’s Abdul Waseem opposed the idea. “Ideally, quotas should be abolished and all appointments should be made on merit because they are misused by every successive government to make politically-motivated appointments on fake domiciles.”

PTI’s Lal Chand pointed out that even existing quotas were not being implemented, as the quota for minorities was never honoured.

Veteran parliamentarian Mehmood Khan Achakzai offered a more measured response. “It is a delicate problem, but the spirit of the resolution is correct. Legal experts should pore over this and it should not be done in haste. The provinces’ wisdom should also be sought,” he said.

“Islamabad must not belong to one province,” he concluded.

Sindh’s quota controversy

The house also witnessed an argument between MQM MNA Abdul Rashid Godil and PPP MNA Abdul Sattar Bachani over the misuse of rural Sindh’s quotas by the elite.

“Those sons of the rich, who live and study in Karachi, London or America, will always get the domicile of a [rural area] which has a quota,” Mr Godil said. He opposed the introduction of a new quota for the capital, saying that it would only create further inequality.

But Mr Bachani took exception to the MQM MNA’s remarks, musing: “He received five bullets, but I don’t think he got the message.”

He claimed that the residents of Karachi were not just Sindhis; they came from all over the country. Therefore, he concluded, they should not be considered part of Sindh’s quota.

Rising on a point of personal explanation, the MQM MNA was extremely offended. “I have always spoken the truth and I will continue to do so, even if I receive five more bullets.”

He also disputed the logic presented by the PPP MNA, saying that three biggest cities in Sindh – Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur – had around half the population of Sindh, but remained at a disadvantage with regards to the overall quota in jobs.

Constitutional matters

Law Minister Zahid Hamid, who sat through the entire debate patiently, explained to the house that a new constitutional amendment bill would soon be introduced to extend the quotas awarded under Article 27 of the Constitution. “The quota’s 40-year period has expired, which should be extended. The bill was supposed to be tabled this week, but since we have a joint sitting [on Wednesday and Thursday], and it may not be possible to gather the required numbers to pass an amendment on Friday, so we may have to reschedule the laying of that bill.”

He also suggested that if quotas were to be revisited, it would be better that changes are made after a census is held. “It is currently conceivable that Islamabad can compete for the whole 50pc [of the Punjab quota]. If you bifurcate them, it will open another Pandora’s box.”

Winding up the debate, Asad Umar tried to steer discussion back to the original motion. “I don’t want to introduce a new quota system,” he said, drawing attention to the fact that currently, only 10pc jobs were given on merit. “Punjab and Islamabad have a combined 50pc, Sindh (rural) 11.4pc, Sindh (urban) 7.6pc, KP 11.5pc, Balochistan 3.5pc, Fata and Northern Areas have 4pc and AJK has 2pc.”

“Except for Islamabad, all other territories in Pakistan have their own quota. As the MNA from Islamabad, I can assure you that the youth of the city have been making this demand quite vehemently,” he said.

“Rather than waiting for a census, we can use up-to-date electoral rolls to award fresh quotas,” he suggested.

Published in Dawn October 5th, 2016