Candidates who failed the Sindh Public Service Commission examinations have begun a protest march from Hyderabad to Karachi, escalating a months-long campaign against alleged violations of merit in the recruitment process.
The SPSC candidates march set off on Saturday morning. The protesters plan to travel through the districts of Tando Muhammad Khan and Thatta before staging a demonstration outside the Chief Minister’s House in Karachi.
A protest months in the making
The march is the latest step by the Joint Action Committee of the 2024 affected candidates, who say the commission’s examination results were manipulated and deserving candidates were pushed out. Their core demands include the removal of the SPSC chairman and members, fresh appointments made strictly on the advertised criteria, and a transparent re-evaluation of the disputed results.
The campaign has been running for over two months. In September, candidates observed a hunger strike at their protest camp in Hyderabad, drawing visits from political leaders. Sindh Progressive Party chairman Dr Qadir Magsi met the protesters and urged them to end the hunger strike, praising them for sustaining the protest for 55 days away from their homes and families.
Sindh United Party chairman Syed Zain Shah also visited the camp and expressed solidarity, while Karachi Bar Association president Amir Nawaz Warraich assured the candidates of lawyers’ full support. In July, Warraich had given the Sindh government an ultimatum to remove the SPSC chairman and members, warning of an indefinite sit-in if the demands were ignored.
Street theatre and torchlight rallies
The candidates have kept their campaign visible through street theatre, tableaux and satirical music performances, uploading videos daily on social media. In August, they held a torchlight rally from Naseem Nagar Chowk to the SPSC headquarters in Hyderabad, with students, lawyers and civil society members joining in.
National Peoples Movement leader Ayaz Latif Palijo, who also visited the camp, described the commission as an institution where candidates backed by powerful circles were favoured, and urged the judiciary to take notice of the students’ concerns.
Why the SPSC candidates march matters
The SPSC controls recruitment to coveted provincial government posts, and its credibility directly affects thousands of aspirants across Sindh. When candidates lose faith in the examining body, the damage extends beyond one result cycle: it discourages talented young people from even attempting the competitive examinations.
The controversy echoes wider concerns about examination integrity in Pakistan. The University of Karachi recently removed its exam controller amid an LLB result manipulation scandal, while questions were raised after the 9th class results in Punjab exposed deeper cracks in the system. Thousands of aspirants are also watching the FPSC’s October exam schedule closely.
What happens next
The marchers are expected to reach Karachi in the coming days, with the demonstration outside the Chief Minister’s House planned as the culmination. Whether the provincial government engages with the protesters or the march passes without a response will determine the campaign’s next phase.
Dawn reported the start of the march on Saturday morning. Read related coverage of the protest campaign in The News.
