129,301 vacant posts: Government may not be able to achieve target

The federal government may not be able to achieve the target of filling 129,301 vacant posts in different ministries, divisions and subordinate organizations within four months as the Parliament is yet to clear a bill pertaining to job quota, sources said.

Under Article 27 of the Constitution, the quotas for the provinces were fixed for 40 years and that period had ended in 2013. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had extended the quota system for another 20 years through a cabinet decision and also introduced a bill titled 'the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill, 2013, (23rd Amendment) in the Parliament for the purpose. The bill, however, could not become a law during the tenure of PML-N government.

The 23rd Amendment seeks to amend Article 27(1) of the Constitution titled, "Safeguard against Discrimination in Services."

The quotas were effectively observed under the cabinet decision taken by the PML-N government without a mandatory constitutional requirement, an official of the Parliament House on condition of anonymity told Business Recorder. The decision of the government may be challenged in the court of law, he added.

A constitutional amendment is required to ensure appointment of government officers/officials as per provincial quotas. Since it is a constitutional amendment, the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) requires a two-thirds majority in the Parliament to get the bill passed, he maintained.

On January 20, 2020, the federal cabinet announced to fill 129,301 vacant positions in different ministries, divisions and subordinate organizations within four months and also aimed to resolve approximately 35,000 pending cases of government employees pertaining to delays in promotions, pending seniorities and delayed inquiries within the same period.

All concerned ministries, divisions and departments will frame recruitment rules for the posts at all levels within 60 working days. The process of re-designation or deletion of the posts, except those which had been advertised or are likely to be restructured, will be completed within 45 working days.

All vacant positions within the recruitment ambit of Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) will be referred to the Commission within 30 working days and it may exclude positions that are likely to be restructured.

On August 23, 2019, an office memorandum (OM) issued by Ministry of Finance banned creation of new posts except those required for development projects and approved by the competent authority.

As per the report submitted to federal cabinet, 129,301 jobs are vacant in 35 ministries and 218 divisions and subordinate organizations. A total of 13,421 jobs for posts from grades 16-22 and 51,000 from grades 1-7 remain to be filled are in various divisions. There are 41,000 posts from grades 8-15 that are also vacant. Other 96 posts from grades 21-22 have been vacant for many years. There are 4,000 vacant posts that need to be filled through the FPSC, including 23 from grades 20-22.

Under the present formula, 7.5 percent appointments in the federal government departments and institutions are made on merit. The quota for Punjab and Islamabad is 50 percent, Sindh, 19 percent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11.5 percent, Balochistan, 6 percent, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Gilgit-Baltistan, 4 percent, and Azad Kashmir, 2 percent.