A public university in Pakistan has defied court orders and misled government authorities to avoid giving federally approved jobs to non-Muslims, a Christian politician in the nation’s ruling party said in March.
In May 2009 the Federal Government passed a law requiring 5% of jobs to be allocated to religious minorities. The University of Sargodha has hired hundreds of employees since this legislation was implemented in 2010, but continues to use bureaucratic tactics to avoid hiring non-Muslims, according to Chaudhry Mustaq Gill, a Christian political leader in the Pakistan Muslim League.
Gill filed a case against the university through the Punjab government ombudsman in September 2012. The university lost the case. Nearly one year has passed since the ruling and, according to Gill, the university has not rectified its wrongdoing.
The record provided by the university to the ombudsman verifies that 102 of 111 Christians hired since 2010 are working as street sweepers. The nine remaining Christians are primarily working as clerks and gardeners, with one working as a storekeeper and the other as a laboratory attendant.
The occupation of street sweeping is traditionally considered menial and degrading under the Indian caste system; hence, only ‘untouchables’ are given jobs in this category.
