SC expresses concern over 30000 vacant posts of minorities

ISLAMABAD (APP): The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed concern over more than 30000 vacant posts of minorities in the government employment quota.
A three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the suo-moto case regarding the Rahim Yar Khan temple attack.
On August 5, dozens of people reportedly vandalized a Hindu temple in the Bhong town and blocked the Sukkur-Multan Motorway after an eight-year-old Hindu boy, who allegedly urinated in a local seminary, was granted bail by a local court.
During the course of proceedings, Shoaib Suddle, presiding the one-man commission formed over the matter, informed the court that a five percent quota was allocated for minorities in government sector jobs.
He said that the government job quota for minorities did not specify Hindus, Christians, Sikhs or others. There were currently 30,000 vacancies for minorities across the country, he added.
The bench stated that the court had been apprised that the federal, Punjab, K-P and Balochistan governments were not recruiting minorities according to the quota.
The court directed the federal government and the provincial chief secretaries to cooperate with the Suddle-led commission and the concerned authorities to take prompt action on minority employment issues and submit a report in this regard.
The court also acknowledged that the Rahim Yar Khan Temple had been rebuilt following the attack.
The Chief Justice rema-rked that former Parliame-ntarian Raees Munir Ahm-ed had donated 10 kanals of land to Punjab Police for setting up a police station in Bhong. Raees Munir was ready to give another 25 acres of land as a gift for the construction of Sadiqabad Interchange on Multan-Sukkur Motorway, he added.
The apex bench stated that the chairman of the National Highway Authority and the planning secretary should appear in person at the next hearing and inform the court about the construction of the Sadiqabad Interchange.
The Chief Justice asked what steps were being taken, and instructed the NHA official to have answers ready for the next hearing.
He said that a quarrel was reported in Bhong due to a water tap. There was a need to bring moral reforms in the society, he added.
Minority leader Dr Ramesh Kumar said that there was still danger in Bhong due to the katcha area. He said that the construction of the Karak Temple had not been completed since December.
Upon this, the Chief Justice summoned Advocate General KP to the rostrum and asked him to explain why the work on Karak Temple had not been completed yet.
Advocate General KP Shumail Butt said that he himself visited Karak Temple three times. He said that the construction of Karak temple had been completed as per the court orders. There were also video records of the construction of the Karak Temple.
The court ordered the Chief Secretary KP to submit report on construction of Karak Temple and adjourned hearing of the case for a month.