The Balochistan cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, approved the introduction of AI-based recruitment for government jobs from Grade 4 to below Grade 16 on April 16, 2026. The system will be implemented in the upcoming fiscal year. This makes Balochistan the first Pakistani province to mandate AI-assisted hiring for lower-grade public sector positions.
The decision was part of a broader set of governance reforms that also included the Balochistan Digital Media Policy 2026 and a climate change strategy. The Digital Media Policy has drawn opposition from media bodies, who warned it could reduce newspaper advertisement quotas by up to 80 percent and damage the local newspaper industry.
Who it affects: Candidates for government positions from Grade 4 to below Grade 16 in Balochistan. The province is Pakistan’s largest by area but least populated, with approximately 15 million people.
What is notably missing: No details on the AI system to be used, its vendor, training data, or bias mitigation measures have been published. There is no mention of transparency requirements, appeal mechanisms, or candidate notification about AI involvement in hiring decisions. No training requirement for the civil servants who will operate or oversee the AI recruitment system has been announced. The absence of worker protections in AI-assisted hiring contrasts with protections established in jurisdictions like the EU (AI Act high-risk classification for employment AI) and several US states.