True, what if you are qualified and still not considered for the job because of unspoken or undocumented prejudice, would it still be called whining on the part of one who has been rejected, or on the part of a large ethnic group that share the sentiment generally?
Sure we can play hypothetical scenarios all day long, and based on supposed issues, we can certainly beat the crap out Pak army (at least virtually :) ).
First the generalalities. If you ask that army as a national institution should be fully representative of Pakistan's ethnicities? You bet your bottom dollar, that the answer is yes.
The devil is always in the details. Unless you look at the details, you will not figure out the true nature of anything, let alone a complex and highly specialized institution like a modern army.
Army should never be subjected to purely ethnic analysis. The reason is simple. All over the world, only a specific set of regions provide men who are ready to face the ultimate danger. This aspect is different from many large institutions.
For example it will be easy (and it has been done in the past) to fill the whole Railway system with Urdu speaking group, or hire only Pashtuns to work in the ministry of water. The reason is simple. The jobs in Railway on ministry of water are mostly "safe" jobs. The hazards you face while working in Railway on some ministry are pretty much comparable to many other aspects of our society but it is not so in case of army or other law enforcement agencies.
Even in Punjab, only certain regions qualify and even "want" to join the army. Why do you think a Punjabi chap from a family of doctors settled in Lahore would even consider joining army? When he can use his education and family background to land a cushy urban job in a big hospital? Or do you think he will forego all that and apply for posting on Siachin?
Family traditions do matter as well. How many memans would leave their family business in Karachi and go join the army for low paygrades and tough life? How many times a Sindhi rural family sits around the herth and talk and dream about sending their young ones to serve in the army.
So far I have shown you the motivation for an individual to join the army.
The other aspects is to see what kind of aptitude is the army looking for? They do not select a Punjabi or a Pashtun just because of his ethnicity. This is the same for an IT firm too. Will they hire someone just because the guy is a Balochi? Heck no. They will first check if the guy has an aptitude (and qualifications) to work or get trained for the job.
How many large insurance companies in Karachi are dying to get young chaps from interior Sindh or Balochistan or Wazirastan? Are they discriminating on the basis of ethnicity? May be. But if you are manager in a big (and successful) insurance company, you are primarily concerned with finding the right person.
Coming back to the army, just look at the map and see the regions of Punjab and Frontier. There are specific districts that are known to supply infantry, armored core, and engineers.
Modern armies are complex and highly specialized and that's why they rely on:
- the right aptitude
- desire and motivation
- qualification
- family background
roughly in the same order. So let's quit messing up with our institutions and start focusing on excellence.