Frustration boiled over in Balochistan as jobless pharmacists took the government to task over its recruitment shortcomings during a fiery press briefing in Quetta. Representing more than 2,000 out-of-work professionals, the Unemployed Pharmacists Action Committee (UPAC) decried the announcement of just a handful of vacancies, dismissing it as insultingly insufficient.
UPAC’s General Secretary Qasim Aziz Mengal, addressing the media at Quetta Press Club, labeled the policy unacceptable and called for expanded opportunities through fair, merit-driven hiring. He pointed to walk-in interviews for senior BPS-17 roles as a blatant ploy to install favorites, bypassing proper protocols in the health ministry.
Concerns extended to private healthcare facilities lacking pharmacy units and proper staffing. A fresh advertisement for contractual positions for medical staff drew sharp rebukes, with protesters arguing it favors temporary fixes over stable careers.
The pharmacists’ outcry coincided with separate unrest: police detained scores of public servants attempting a demonstration in Quetta’s restricted Red Zone over unpaid disparity reduction allowances. Internet blackouts hit the city amid clashes, as per local outlets.
Workers traveled from every corner of Balochistan, halting routine government functions. Preemptive measures included barricading access points with shipping containers. When crowds shifted to the Press Club vicinity, swift arrests followed, prompting the Balochistan Grand Alliance to launch a jail-filling campaign.
These events spotlight systemic issues in Balochistan’s job market, where qualified graduates face endless waits amid allegations of nepotism and opacity, fueling broader discontent in the province.
