A system introduced decades ago to bridge Sindh’s urban-rural divide — the Sindh quota system — is facing renewed scrutiny, with a growing number of educated Sindhi voices now joining the long-standing demand from Urdu-speaking circles for an end to the quota regime in government jobs and educational institutions.
MDCAT results reignite the Sindh quota system debate
The debate has gained fresh momentum after the latest MDCAT results, in which students from some of Sindh’s most underdeveloped districts, including Tharparkar, outperformed candidates from Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur. The development was reported by The Express Tribune in early October.
For critics of the quota system, the results have raised a fundamental question: does a policy designed to compensate for rural deprivation still serve the purpose for which it was introduced?
What was once largely framed as an urban-rural or Sindhi-Urdu dispute is consequently taking on a different dimension. A section of educated Sindhi-speaking professionals and academics now argues that improvements in education and healthcare facilities in rural Sindh have narrowed the gap, while the quota system is increasingly reinforcing divisions between the province’s communities rather than addressing them.
Retired and serving bureaucrats weigh in
Abdul Aleem Lashari, a retired bureaucrat who has served in various positions in Sindh, recently wrote on social media that “this is the right time to abolish the quota system”. Speaking to The Express Tribune, he said he believed the province no longer needed the quota system.
Serving bureaucrat Nadeem Memon, responding to Lashari’s post, observed that a large number of young people in Karachi preferred employment in the private sector and multinational companies over government jobs.
He argued that ending the quota system could encourage urban youth who had stayed away from government employment to return to the competitive examination system.
Prominent Sindhi scholar Naseer Memon, who is based in Islamabad, said the quota system had been in place for around four decades.
The debate also touches the province’s education machinery more broadly, from medical admissions to the rules governing educational boards.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sindh quota system?
A decades-old policy reserving government jobs and educational seats for rural Sindh residents, introduced to bridge the province’s urban-rural divide.
Why is the quota system facing fresh criticism now?
The latest MDCAT results showed students from underdeveloped districts like Tharparkar outperforming Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur candidates, prompting questions about whether the policy still serves its original purpose.
Who is calling for the quota system to be abolished?
Alongside the long-standing demand from Urdu-speaking circles, a growing number of educated Sindhi voices, including retired bureaucrat Abdul Aleem Lashari, have now joined the call.
