"Are bureaucrats' children somehow special?": Pakistan's Supreme Court Chief Justice
Sep 13, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], September 13 : The previous practice of providing reservation quotas to children of Pakistani bureaucrats in the country was condemned by Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Friday.
In his statement, Isa criticised the practice of reserving government job seats for the children of bureaucrats in Pakistan. He emphasised the desperate need for a transparent and merit-based hiring system in the country instead of the current one, The Nation, a news organisation from Pakistan, reported on Friday.
According to Isa's statement, "Are bureaucrats' children somehow special? How can someone claim a job and say their future generations must also benefit?" Isa remarked while hearing an appeal related to public servants in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The Supreme Court of Pakistan was reviewing a case concerning the allocation of government jobs through a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO).
Isa, while leading a four-member bench in Pakistan, questioned how such SROs could be issued by a mere section officer. "Can a section officer run the country? Neither the Constitution nor laws can be created through an SRO issued by a section officer," he asserted while condemning the practice.
He noted that the practice of issuing SROs without proper authority began during Ziaul Haq's regime. "Back then, bureaucrats refused to sign off on certain orders, so Ziaul Haq initiated the practice of writing 'competent authority'. But no one knew who this competent authority was. Any official document must have a clear basis," he said.
According to The Nation, Isa highlighted that government job quotas for children of bureaucrats are a violation of the constitutional principle of non-discrimination. "The Constitution prohibits any form of discrimination. If a person qualifies for a job, they should be hired based on merit, not lineage."
He also stated, "Let those who fulfil the criteria for the job work. Bureaucracy should not perpetuate itself by reserving jobs for its children."
The court, after the hearing, according to the same news report, issued a written order, claiming that all notifications released by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government that contravene the merit-based hiring practices should be withdrawn. Isa said, "The provincial government must revoke any such SROs that violate constitutional provisions on equality and non-discrimination," the ruling declared.
