Dear Sir:

We would like to bring your kind attention to one of the most serious problems faced by public in Pakistan.

The issue of unemployment is pervasive in Pakistan. However, vacancies that are being advertised, most of the times, do not follow meritocratic norms. As can be seen and observed, there is a trend that jobs are either based on reference or money. As a result, the hard-work of candidates is totally wasted and incompetent individuals further ruin the market. 

Till how long will such injustice continue? It is time to stop such malpractices and help pave ways for a culture based on merit. 

 

Our Demands

1. Test Scores and Interview Marks of candidates applying for jobs must be made public on the website

2. The rubrics behind test scores, interview marks and selection criteria must be made public with proper justification

3. Even in FPSC interview, the panel show bias by asking easy or difficult questions. There should be a criteria for interviews. Blindly interviewing and marking candidates must be stopped.

4. Even if 'merit' and 'competency' is followed, the department-specific definitions of the very terms must be furnished prior to the job advertisement. Because, merit for choosing a cricket coach is different than that of selecting a lecturer. 

5. There should be a separate complaint cell on national as well as federal levels that must address the complaints and facilitate their resolution.

6. FPSC Reforms:

   i.) FPSC have recruitment cases pending for as long as 2 years. This suffers the candidates as well as the departments who are waiting for new recruits. Government should take steps to minimize such colossus wastage of time. A viable solution lies in computerization and e-government. 

FPSC simply rejects many candidates' credentials with blunt saying "FPSC DOESN'T ACCEPT THAT". This is common in experience-related cases. In one of the recent FPSC decisions a slight change in position-title resulted in disqualification of a candidate. FPSC didn't even bother to consider the job TOR's, which were same. Such arrogant behavior of FPSC must be corrected. Other organizations working in the country and approved by Government of Pakistan are also legally authorized to issue experience certificates. 

 

 

 ii.) CSS Exams: A lot of candidates fail in English Composition and Essay papers. However, there are English and grammatical mistakes in the FPSC papers. If FPSC is failing candidates in English, its English must be up to the mark. Most of the candidates fail in English Essay with either 20 or 22 marks. It's inane in a descriptive exam.

iii.) The question papers and answer keys must be made after each NTS, FPSC or other recruitment test. FPSC repeats its questions in some descriptive exams.

iv.) FPSC should have proper paper setting format and criteria. In one paper, candidate had been asked to write a 3000 words essay in 30 minutes. However, CSS essay paper allows 3 hours to write an essay. This is unjustified. In another paper, candidates were asked to write down their CV's; however, its not allowed to ask for candidates identity. Evidence is available by having a look over past papers.

v.) Latest tech gadgets are available which can be easily taken into exam halls. This encourages cheating and unfair means. This must be stopped. 

vi.) FPSC has a scrutiny stage where the shortlisted candidate's credentials are verified. Those rejected are not invited for the interviews. However, the rejected ones are given chance to defend their stance in Personal Hearing and after the Personal Hearing candidature might get restored. Here, there is a big irony! Those restored after 'Personal Hearing' are not even considered proper candidates and are thought by the commission as burden. From the commission's record there is no example whereby a person having undergone Personal Hearing has been successful in the interview stage. Even their documents are not checked. Those, who have gone through and are restored by Personal Hearing must also be given proper consideration because ignoring them might violate the meritocratic norms.

vii.) FPSC takes a lot of time, usually stretching to as much as 2 years, for choosing a candidate for a single position, which is lying vacant for the last 10 years. However, when candidates, despite being shortlisted, fail to submit the requisite documents by one day, their candidature is strictly rejected. We are living in a developing country and variations in schedules are not uncommon. A mild strike on D-chowk, for instance, can render the whole capital on a hibernation break (The routes to major embassies and offices will be blocked as a result). It is usual for a person sitting in Gilgit to be late. So, a realistic and sympathetic approach should be adopted. There should be margin for exceptional cases.

7. Both private and government organizations should be made to follow suchlike meritocratic practices.

8. Many a times, recruitment have been made in violation to the merit. And, those candidates who were hired on merit had been fired on the basis of pen-stroke without any notice/reason. This has happened many times. Please ask for the recruitment record from all government departments.

9. It was promised in the election manifesto that Right of Access to Information bill will be tabled in parliament. Please make it happen on immediate basis.

10. Government of Pakistan obligates private and public sector organizations to have a minimum quota of 2% for the disabled individuals. However, this is not observed in most of recruitment cases. 

11. Number of positions must be stated in the advertisement. Any federal or provincial rules and regulations, to be followed, must be mentioned in the advertisement.

12. Proper weightages must be assigned to various factors prior to advertising jobs.

13. PPRA sort of regulations should be enacted for awarding jobs in public as well as private sector

14. Recently jobs have been announced in Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Dow University of Health Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Pakistan Engineering Council, Civil Aviation Authority and Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization etc. Proper mechanism must be introduced under the supervision of Prime Minister Office to assure merit and transparency in recruitment.

* Recently, Pakistan Engineering Council has advertised jobs and test was conducted by PTS but still it has not set a criteria for selection. There are rumors that the organization is going to define a criteria which can accommodate their favorite candidates. Pakistan Engineering Council has conducted tests and interviews in the past as well. But cancelled the whole process because of the political biases. Still, many slots are vacant and no hiring has been made. It is also being speculated that the current hiring process might also be stopped without any outcomes. Till how long will the engineering community suffer. This must be investigated!

15. "According to QS ranking, only 3 universities are listed in top 800 universities of the world...." (Ref: https://nation.com.pk/25-Jan-2018/plight-of-higher-education-in-pakistan Pakistani graduates having qualification from the world's top universities should be encouraged so as to prevent further brain drain. 

16. There are many departments/ministries where officers have been recruited without tests and interviews. This has deprived the competent and deserving candidates from their rights. It is also in utter violation of following rulings:

Writ No. 340 Year 2017 (Islamabad High Court) http://mis.ihc.gov.pk/attachments/judgements/ICA_340_of_2017_etc_636655499641708266.pdf

Writ No. 2117 Year 2016 (Islamabad High Court) http://mis.ihc.gov.pk/attachments/judgements/ICA_340_of_2017_etc_636655499641708266.pdf

Writ petition No. 177820/2018 (Lahore High Court) https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/442858-uet-vc-directed-to-de-notify-appointment-of-registrar-controller

Competent individuals should be recruited instead through tests and interviews. 

 

 

17. [Interviews should be video recorded]

 

Thank you.