Discriminatory recruitment raises concerns

Islamabad: Chairman of the Interfaith League Against Poverty (I-LAP) and International Religious Freedom-Peace Builders Forum Pakistan (IRF-PBF Pakistan) Sajid Sandhu has expressed concern over a recruitment advertisement reportedly issued by the Hyderabad Water & Sewerage Corporation, Government of Sindh, for 50 temporary/contract sanitary worker positions, in which eligibility is specifically restricted to non-Muslims, says a press release.

Sandhu said that such a condition raises serious questions about equality, human dignity, religious discrimination, and the constitutional rights of Pakistani citizens. While sanitation work is honorable and essential to society, associating this occupation specifically with non-Muslim citizens risks reinforcing a longstanding and harmful stereotype that members of religious minority communities are suited primarily for sanitation and other low-status occupations.

“Every form of honest work deserves dignity and respect, and sanitary workers perform an essential public service. He noted that Article 27 of the Constitution of Pakistan provides safeguards against discrimination in appointments to the service of Pakistan on grounds including religion, while also allowing constitutional measures designed to address underrepresentation in public services.

Any recruitment policy explicitly differentiating applicants according to religion should therefore be carefully examined to ensure that it is consistent with both the letter and spirit of Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees.

Sandhu emphasized that measures intended to create employment opportunities for disadvantaged communities should promote their advancement across professions rather than confining or associating them with particular occupations.