Job Quotas
DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government is poised to officially accept the recent Supreme Court ruling that has eliminated most of the job quotas for government positions in Bangladesh.
This pivotal decision follows a period of intense and violent nationwide protests across the South Asian country.
The Supreme Court’s Appellate Division ruled on Sunday to overturn a lower court’s order that had reinstated the previously scrapped quota system.
The new directive stipulates that government job positions will now be filled based solely on merit rather than predefined quotas.
The ruling has come in response to widespread demonstrations and unrest, which have led to nearly 150 fatalities due to clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies.
The protests erupted following a high court decision last month that reintroduced a quota system, allocating nearly 60% of government jobs to specific groups, including families of those who fought in the 1971 Liberation War.
The student groups leading these demonstrations have called for a suspension of protests for 48 hours in light of the court’s ruling, citing a desire to avoid further bloodshed.
However, they have issued an ultimatum to the government, demanding eight specific actions. These include a public apology from Prime Minister Hasina and the reopening of university campuses that were closed during the height of the violence.
In response to the ongoing unrest, the Bangladeshi government has imposed a curfew and a temporary shutdown of the internet and telecommunications services in the capital, Dhaka, and other major cities.
Although calm has returned to many areas for the time being, the security situation remains fragile. The army chief, who conducted an aerial survey of Dhaka, has indicated that while the situation is under control, it is still volatile.
Officials have announced a temporary relaxation of the curfew for four hours each afternoon to allow citizens to purchase essential goods.
The government is expected to formalize its acceptance of the Supreme Court’s ruling in official records on Tuesday, addressing one of the protesters’ key demands.
Prime Minister Hasina has attributed the violence to her political opponents and has stated that the curfew will be lifted as soon as conditions improve.
