Unemployed Pharmacists Protest Against Contract-Based Hiring, Demand Merit Appointments Through Public Service Commission

**Quetta (Daily Qudrat Quetta):** The Unemployed Pharmacists Action Committee Balochistan staged a protest against contract-based recruitments and demanded transparent, merit-based appointments through the Balochistan Public Service Commission (BPSC).

Addressing a press conference at the Quetta Press Club on Wednesday, the committee’s General Secretary, Qasim Aziz Mengal, said that announcing only a few vacancies for more than 2,000 unemployed pharmacists was “like a drop in the ocean.” He rejected the government’s decision and stressed that a larger number of posts must be created to ensure fair employment opportunities on merit.

He alleged that BPS-17 pharmacist positions were being filled through walk-in interviews in a non-transparent manner, aimed at appointing favored and recommended individuals. Qasim Aziz Mengal claimed that merit no longer existed in the Health Department and that the recruitment process lacked transparency.

He further raised concerns over the absence of proper pharmacy departments and qualified pharmacist appointments in private hospitals, stating that this situation raised serious questions. He cited the recent case of Al-Shifa Nursery as a clear example.

The committee also criticized a recent notification by the Balochistan Health Department advertising doctor and pharmacist posts on a contract basis, calling it discriminatory and unjust. According to him, such policies effectively bury merit and deprive qualified unemployed youth of their rightful opportunities.

The Unemployed Pharmacists Action Committee demanded the immediate withdrawal of the contract-based recruitment policy, an end to non-transparent hiring practices, and the initiation of appointments through the Balochistan Public Service Commission to ensure fair, merit-based recruitment for unemployed pharmacists across the province.