Quota system-is it justified: split from Karachi blood bath

[Khan15]

@yahooo

Why is it that everything in Pakistan has to boil down to who is punjabi and who is “muhajir” and who is not? Is it too difficult for people there to look beyond their parochial interests for the sake of the country they inhabit?

It is one thing if you have a “quota system” for minorities/disadvantaged groups; it is quite another if you have a system where the relatively better off groups are the ones benefiting from such a system. Both “muhajirs” and punjabis come under the latter category so it is amusing that they the ones with an enviable share of quotas reserved for them.

Is it possible to have quotas for Sindhis and Balochis while at least the punjabis and the muhajirs compete on merit? I think it is. After all there is a thing known as affirmative action where the disadvantaged groups receive priority to an extent but other groups do not have a fixed share of seats in colleges/jobs allocated for them in advance. It is win-win situation because it allows upward social mobility for the disadvantaged segments of society, diminishing resentment, while still ensuring that meritocracy is not completely stripped off in the process.

O.K, lets not scrap it, but at least we can reform it. As it stands now, it benefits a certain type of Lahori (the Model Town / Defence lot) who use to it to get jobs in the government, while almost all Urdu-speakers struggle to get anything. I am quite happy for a 20% quota on those who are deprived or belong religious minorities, while 80% should be on merit. It would go someway to reduce the tension in Karachi, and in the long term support for the MQM.