Pakistan: Quotas for Mohajirs
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAK4191 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: Quotas for Mohajirs, 1 February 1990, PAK4191, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aaa610.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to one article in The New York Times, (Barbara Crossette, "Pakistani Minority Becomes Political Powerhouse", 13 November 1988), a quota system for Mohajirs "limiting their access to education and employment was introduced by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and extended by President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq." Specific information on the policy of Benazir Bhutto's government, regarding the legality of a quota system for Mohajirs, is not currently available to the IRBDC. However, a recent report dated 11 February 1990 states that the Mohajirs have "welded themselves into a powerful political force under the banner of the MQM to demand better educational and job opportunities and an end to what they see as discrimination by native Sindhis". [ Malcolm Davis, "Pakistan Unity on Kashmir Shaken By Karachi Riot Deaths", Reuters, 11 February 1990.] The author does not allude to the official government position on this alleged discrimination, nor whether a quota system currently exists. Most information mentioning the quota system for Mohajirs is from the months of October and November 1988, during the election campaign leading up to Benazir Bhutto's win. For example, The Economist, "The Blood in Hyderabad is no Cause to Flinch Again", 8 October 1988, refers to the resentment, by the Mohajirs, of "quotas on jobs and college places that keep them out of work".
Please refer to the attached documentation, which contains material relevant to a number of the questions posed regarding the situation of Mohajirs in Pakistan.