Federal Jobs Quota in Pakistan: Senate Panel Says Balochistan Is 30,000 Jobs Short and Sindh 80,000, Wants Data in 15 Days
Senate panel says Balochistan is 30,000 federal jobs short and Sindh 80,000. 5,000 Balochistan jobs advertised; grade 18 to 22 data is due within 15 days.
Short answer: A Senate sub-committee said on 10 November 2026 that Balochistan is more than 30,000 federal jobs short of its quota share and Sindh more than 80,000. The Establishment Division said 5,000 Balochistan jobs have been advertised. The committee gave the federal government 15 days to submit a grade-wise position for grades 18 to 22.
The meeting was the Sub-Committee of the Senate Functional Committee on Devolution, convened by Senator Barrister Zamir Hussain Ghumro, at Parliament House, Islamabad. We read the Senate's own press release on senate.gov.pk that evening. The meeting was one of four Senate committees listed for 10 November. The Secretary of the Cabinet Division and officials of the Auditor General's office, the Establishment Division, the Finance Division and the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) attended.
Balochistan is 30,000 jobs short and Sindh 80,000, the committee said
The committee took up the low share of the smaller provinces in federal services and corporations. It looked at appointments in every grade, from 1 to 22. The convener said the committee had identified a shortage of more than 30,000 jobs in Balochistan's share, and that these must be filled.
For Sindh, the convener said a shortage of more than 80,000 jobs had been pointed out, and that Sindh's share must also be corrected by advertising posts. The release does not say how these numbers were worked out, or over what period.
| Province | Federal quota share | Shortfall stated at the meeting |
|---|---|---|
| Sindh | 19% (7.6% urban, 11.4% rural) | More than 80,000 jobs |
| Balochistan | 6% | More than 30,000 jobs |
The quota shares in the table come from the Establishment Division's ESTACODE, not from today's release. Our guide to the federal jobs quota for every province explains how each share is set and who counts in it.
5,000 Balochistan jobs have been advertised so far
The Establishment Division told the committee that 5,000 jobs for Balochistan have been advertised, on the committee's instructions. It said this was to correct the province's share as Article 38(g) of the Constitution requires. Article 38(g) says the shares of the provinces in all federal services, including autonomous bodies and corporations, must be secured, and past gaps in those shares corrected.
The FPSC Secretary said appointments against the shares of Sindh and Balochistan will be sped up, as the commission has cleared its earlier backlog. He said a special CSS examination was held for these provinces.
If you hold a Sindh or Balochistan domicile, the quota you compete in depends on the domicile certificate in your own name. Our guide on FPSC self domicile and quota rules covers this, including the urban and rural split in Sindh.
Grade 18 to 22 data is due within 15 days
The committee said there are very few people from Sindh and Balochistan in posts such as Secretary or chief executive of a corporation. The convener said Article 38(g) covers shares in every grade, not just junior posts.
The committee set out who must speed up hiring at each level:
- Grades 1 to 15: the ministries themselves.
- Grades 16 and 17: the Federal Public Service Commission.
- Grades 18 to 22: the federal government and the Prime Minister.
The federal government must submit the grade-wise position for grades 18 to 22 within 15 days. The committee said compliance must be "substantive and practical", and added: "We need Implementation and no more statements of intent."
The convener said Rs 5 trillion went on devolved subjects
The committee also examined federal spending on subjects that the 18th Amendment gave to the provinces, and on ministries set up for matters of the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The convener cited a report of the Auditor General of Pakistan. He said it shows the federal government spent more than Rs 5 trillion, more than $18 billion, on these subjects.
He gave these figures at the meeting, as the release records them:
- Federal government spending of about Rs 19 trillion, against total tax and non-tax revenue of Rs 20 trillion.
- Borrowing of about $135 billion.
- $15 billion from the IMF over 15 years, against $18 billion to $20 billion spent on devolved ministries and bodies.
The convener said the CCI and the Cabinet Division have sent summaries to the Prime Minister to abolish 24 ministries and institutions, and the Prime Minister has yet to respond. The committee told them to send a fresh note to the Prime Minister. These are the convener's figures and views as recorded by the Senate. We have not seen the Auditor General's report he cited, and the government has not responded in the release.
The Information Ministry has 15 days on media devolution
The committee was unhappy that the Ministry of Information had not submitted its report. The ministry had asked for a month to devolve print media organisations and functions at the federal level, and to set up a way to give broadcasting rights to the provinces under Article 159 of the Constitution.
The committee directed it to settle all the issues within 15 days and report back. With the grade data also due in 15 days, both reports fall due around 25 November 2026, on our own count.
Common questions
How many federal jobs is Balochistan short of?
More than 30,000, according to the convener of the Senate devolution sub-committee on 10 November 2026.
How many federal jobs is Sindh short of?
More than 80,000, the convener said. He said posts must be advertised to correct Sindh's share.
Have any jobs been advertised?
Yes. The Establishment Division said 5,000 Balochistan jobs have been advertised on the committee's instructions.
What is due in 15 days?
A grade-wise position of grades 18 to 22 from the federal government, and a compliance report from the Information Ministry on media devolution.
What is Article 38(g)?
A Principle of Policy in the Constitution. It says the provinces' shares in all federal services, autonomous bodies and corporations must be secured, and past gaps corrected.
What is Balochistan's federal job quota?
6 per cent of posts filled on an all-Pakistan basis, under the Establishment Division's rules. Sindh's is 19 per cent.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 10 November 2026, about 21:50 PKT. We read the Senate of Pakistan press release of 10 November 2026 on the Sub-Committee on Devolution, on senate.gov.pk. Quota shares are from the ESTACODE 2021 on the Pakistan Code website, as set out in our quota guide.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
