QUETTA    -   Balochistan High Court (BHC) Thursday declared debarring women candidates from applying for the post of ‘tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar’ as illegal and unconstitutional. 

“The condition whereby only male candidates were declared eligible and females were barred for the post of ‘tehsildar and naib tehsildar’ by Ba­lochistan Public Service Commission is illegal and unconstitutional,” BHC ruled directing the provin­cial government to fix /reserve five percent quota for female candidates only.

The divisional bench of BHC comprising Justice Hashim Khan Kakar and Justice Gul Hassan Tareen announced the verdict in a constitutional petition filed by Nargis Sumalani against Revenue Depart­ment’s advertisement for the posts of tehsildar and naib tehsildar inviting applications from only male candidates and barring female candidates.

The petitioner in her constitutional petition prayed the court to declare that if any rule and proviso exist which debarred female candidates for applying for the post of ‘tehsildar and naib te­hsildar’ is void in the eyes of law.

She also contended that the court may direct the provincial government to fix quota for female can­didates in the said posts and allow female contes­tants to compete the same on merit as well.