ISLAMABAD (Business Desk): The Senate Standing Committee on Devolution has directed the federal government to ensure implementation of provincial quotas in promotions to senior grades. The committee was also informed that only one federal secretary from Balochistan is serving across the federal government’s 38 divisions.
At a meeting chaired by Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Zameer Hussain Ghumro, the federal government was given two weeks to implement Article 172(3) of the Constitution in both letter and spirit. The government was asked either to hand over half of the oil and gas wells to the provinces or to give them a share in the profits generated from these resources.
The committee warned that disciplinary action could be taken against officials of the Petroleum Division if the government failed to present an acceptable mechanism for resolving the issue.
The committee, which is responsible for overseeing implementation of the 18th Constitutional Amendment, expressed concern over the failure to enforce provincial employment quotas and provide provinces with their due rights in the oil and gas sectors under Article 172(3) of the Constitution. According to the committee, the situation falls within the scope of violations of constitutional requirements under Articles 38(g) and 172(3).
Committee Chairman Zameer Ghumro said an insurgency was continuing in Balochistan and that implementation of the 18th Constitutional Amendment was the answer to the situation.
Secretary of the Establishment Division Nabeel Awan also supported Ghumro’s position. However, he maintained that no provincial quota had been established for promotions. The committee did not agree with this explanation.
According to the Establishment Division’s written response, Balochistan’s quota in federal employment was set at 4.5 per cent in 1973 and was increased to 6 per cent in 2020 by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
However, figures provided by the division showed that 31,235 federal employees holding Balochistan domicile were serving in grades 1 to 16, accounting for 5.2 per cent of the total workforce, below the prescribed quota.
Similarly, among officers in grades 17 to 22, only 1,287 were from Balochistan, representing just 3.5 per cent of the total number of officers.
The Senate Standing Committee maintained that the federal government was failing to fulfil its constitutional obligations. According to the committee, Article 172 of the Constitution envisages equal participation by the federation and the provinces in matters relating to natural oil and gas resources.