The Balochistan High Court today ordered an immediate halt to admissions under a special quota for the children of federal government employees at a prominent residential college, following allegations that the policy unfairly favours non-local students over deserving candidates from the province.
The directive was issued by a bench featuring Chief Justice Muhammad Kamran Khan Malakhail and Justice Najamuddin Mengal, which suspended the implementation of the quota at Capt. Waqar Kakar Shaheed Balochistan Residential College (BRC) Loralai until further notice.
This decision came during the hearing of a constitutional petition filed by advocate Ali Ahmed Kakar, who challenged the legality of the admission provision.
The petition outlined that while six seats in each Balochistan Residential College are reserved for the children of federal employees serving in the province, these positions are allegedly being allocated to students from other provinces who do not possess a Balochistan domicile or local certificate.
Advocate Kakar contended that this practice deprives the eligible children of federal personnel belonging to Balochistan of their rightful admissions, maintaining that the policy is discriminatory and violates constitutional and legal frameworks.
He presented to the court that during the recent admission test at BRC Loralai, applicants with lower scores were granted entry under the quota, while more qualified local candidates were overlooked.
The petitioner has requested the court to declare the entire admission policy concerning federal employees” children at the residential colleges in Loralai and Zhob null and void.
After hearing the initial arguments, the court issued notices to Saleh Baloch, the Provincial Secretary for Colleges and Higher Education, and Abdul Samad Achakzai, the Principal of Capt. Waqar Kakar Shaheed BRC Loralai, demanding their response.
The bench has instructed them to submit a comprehensive report on the matter.
In its interim order, the court has specifically instructed authorities to suspend admissions against the six reserved seats in Class 7 at the Loralai college until the case is fully adjudicated.
Further hearings on the matter have been adjourned until after the Eid ul-Fitr holidays.