ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Islamabad High Court has issued a landmark ruling directing government departments to end religious discrimination in the recruitment of sweepers and sewer workers and ensure the safety of workers.
In a judgment today, Justice Inam Amin Minhas said that advertising sweeper posts with the condition “only Christians” is discriminatory, unconstitutional, and strictly prohibited.
The court ordered that future job advertisements must avoid religious specifications and instead use the term “citizens” to ensure equal opportunities for all.
The court expressed serious concern over the risks to the lives of sewer workers. It said that sending sewer workers into toxic gases and a deadly environment without protective equipment is a serious negligence.
The decision said that sewer workers are not machine parts; it is the responsibility of the state to provide them with complete protective equipment, training, and facilities.
The Islamabad High Court, calling the increase in the deaths of sewer workers across the country worrying, issued instructions to the relevant institutions to take comprehensive safety measures.
The court ordered that all relevant departments submit a detailed implementation report to the Deputy Registrar Judicial within two months.
