ISLAMABAD: The Establishment division on Tuesday recommended the cabinet to allocate a separate quota for transgender persons for the federal government jobs.
This recommendation was part of a set of suggestions presented by Establishment Division Secretary Mian Asad Hayauddin, in order to equally allocate jobs quotas among the provinces, under the revised National Finance Commission formula.
The proposals also recommended for the jobs to be allocated on the basis of education rather than domicile.
The secretary proposed that the status quo should be based on census data 2017. He stated that the current jobs quota based on the 1998 census stood at 7.5% merit, Punjab and Islamabad 50%, Sindh 19%, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 11.5%, Balochistan 6%, Fata and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) 4%, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 2%.
He said that since the distribution of jobs quota was built on the 1998 census, population figures of AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan were not part of the distribution, as the population of these two areas were not included in that census.
The secretary also remarked that the population of FATA was higher than that of Gilgit-Baltistan, before presenting provisional census figures of 2017 in front of the cabinet for support.
He presented the combined data of G-B and Fata from 2008 to 2012 before the cabinet and pointed out that 178 applicants were competing there for a total of just 61 seats.
He said that Balochistan’s current quota was enhanced from 3.5% to 6% in a special dispensation that was given to the province.
The merit quota, according to him was brought down to 7.5% from 10% in February 2007, while the current quota for women was 10%, whereas 5% was reserved for minorities.
He said that the Islamabad jobs quota was distributed only through the decision of Islamabad High Court (IHC).
He said that 20% proportionate quota was reduced from each unit on January 26, 2016, adding that 2% federal disabled (special person) quota had been fixed in 1981 for BPS-1 to BPS-15 posts.
It was recently approved by the cabinet that special persons could apply for any group on merit by contending through the Central Superior Services.
The secretary said, “Legislative process for allocation of jobs quota among provinces pending with parliament should be expedited.”
After carrying out a detailed debate over the subject, the cabinet directed the Ministry of Law and Justice to push the pending official bill for a parliamentary debate.
The bill has been pending in the National Assembly since August 28, 2013, for an extension in the quota.
