Is Telecom Sector Involved in Parchi System?

job_parchiFirst of all, let me be clear that I am writing this after getting inspiration from Telenor’s Khamoshi ka Boycott campaign.

After reviewing their earlier advertisements and criticizing them hard (based on our own viewpoint), I must admit that their this particular TVC about parchi system is indeed something to look at.

Though, call it pessimism or maybe I am more realistic, I don’t find this campaign bringing a significant revolution in terms of changing the current parchi system in our culture, however, it indeed has triggered us to think the state of HR policies in various organizations.

And today, we will talk about Telecom sector!

I have spoken to more than a dozen telecom officials in last two days, and asked them about their HR policies, recruitment procedures and chances of being influenced by Parchi, references and the pressure from external sources in employing someone.

Public Relation departments of Mobilink, Telenor, Ufone, Warid and Zong were of the view that there is no ‘parchi system’, at all, in their respective companies, hence we can conclude from their conversations that Parchi System is something unknown to telecom sector.

Though, couple of of them, including Telenor PR Head, agreed to a point that they are at times asked and influenced by regulator, government officials, regarding jobs – but they never entertain such requests.

On other hands, when I spoke to other departments especially the HR officials in various organizations, they hinted us of parchi system, to some extent at least.

One of the official said:

Telecom companies are part of Pakistan ’s socio system. So we can’t separate this industry from the rest of the country. How can you think of a Telecom company not being influenced by regulator, government or those who have got higher stakes in management?

While I agree with this official, here is one more viewpoint from another unnamed official:

Parchi system was largely in-practice just few years back, when telecom sector was booming. I can give you names, examples, however, now – the situation is different. Every company is looking for best resource at best price so there are very little chances of hiring someone based on some external pressure.

After saying this, he agreed to following:

If someone has got a reference, and he is capable at the same time, then obviously the candidate has better chances to get the job.

From all this, I can safely say that evidences of parchi system are there in telecom sector too, maybe not as significant as in other industries/organizations.

Our readers, mostly being from telecom sector, we would like to request your input on this, to tell us “Have you seen anyone getting job in Telecom sector through Parchi System?

Please share your personal stories, if any, in below comments or send us email here aamir [at] propakistani.com.

Based on readers’ input (in comments and emails), we will do a follow up story in coming days, with more facts.

Update:

Telenor, in response to our story, has clarified its earlier position and sent us following statement:

This is to clarify that no Telenor Pakistan spokesperson alleged or implied that regulatory or any government body can or has tried to influence the company’s recruitment process as stated in your news story.

Telenor Pakistan follows a stringent and transparent recruitment process that hires candidates on merit, based on the required credentials.

Tech and telecom reporter for over 15 years


  • Well, parchi system is infact prevalent in Telenor Pakistan itself.

    I know a couple of guys in Telenor Pakistan who didn’t deserve a job (and there were much better candidates than them), but they got the job through parchi.

    One such example is their _____ ______ _______, who doesn’t have the credentials or what it takes to be in New Business Development; but he has got a big parchi, thats why he got the job.

    [Comment Edited]

  • It is essential to mention here that there is a mobile operator, with its roots in Europe, where only graduates from a particular university in Lahore can find their way into the commercial department. Graduates from other universities, no matter how capable they are and what value they bring along, could not even make it to the interview stage. Aren’t they promoting the the golden ticket commonly known as the “Parchi system”?

  • @ Malik… i concurr as i know a plenty of people who are the beneficiaries of this special golden ticket(parchi system)… because they all hail from the same institution…

  • Telenor itself believes in parchi system i applied many times but the parchi system was working there its pathetic

      • Absolutely…
        The main point, also raised in article that if some one, having capability and reference,has a better chance..
        Being not selected is not a proof of inappropriate selection..
        i have been a part of telenor… and understand the entire culture…
        Merit really matters here..
        Why not look at positive and try to cure negative ones…

  • What to expect from candidates when all top chairman,director generals,Managers are themselves the product of Parchi, we can focus on a parchi candidate getting 20,000 per month but we cant write on its organization head getting 500,000 per month. Thts the biggest problem of our System.

  • Parchi System is one thing and anyone who is working/looking for work in telecom sector he/she will definitely know that how its important to have [+]parchi to get the job at any level from management to lower staff.

    The other thing which i want to mention is that they dont go for talent i.e. few days back one of my colleague apply to the job and when he made a call for verification that if he is selected or not for the interview he got the answer from lady “we dont hire guys of AIOU”.

    2 years back HEC launched an operation against universities which are not registered. Now when allama iqbal open university is registered with HEC (and guy got to classes for 4 years) still why telecom operators not considering people even for the interview?

  • I have been recently into a CSR job Interview at telenor, I have passed the test with exceptional marks and did good in Interview and Health examination too. I was told that you have been selected and we will call you in 1-2 days. Though its been 2 months i have never been called by them, where as some people i saw they rejected at the time are currently getting the training :P

    Khamooshi ka boycott?

    • what was the post? may be the did CSR by hiring a less fortunate person and less competent person ;)

      • May be they rejected me because i am affiliated with ProPakistani :D

  • First of all we need to accept the reality. and the reality is parchi system is every where including celco’s. I have worked for the leading cellular company and I can give you 100 examples of this. even when I left the job I have sent email regarding all malfunctioning to concerned but nothing happened. I have number of emails of those who left the organization just because of the parchi issues in promotions, incentives. This parchi system is not limited to just getting a job but once you get it then you have to TC of your managers to get promotions and everything.

    But who cares . The organizations really don’t care about good resources even. They lay down employees, don’t give them promotions and increments and yet cry that they are the best in compensation and HR policies.

    Let me tell you one thing, the HR system in Pakistan is nothing but just a dummy system which has been put in place to comply with international standards. They have all the latest databases, systems but what they don’t have is control and authority in organization’s decisions and policies.

    The celco’s are no less than public sector departments.

  • There’s another tvc of djuice about poondi culture. So Amir Atta has another issue to talk about. Im affraid if he’s thinking of writing about poondi culture in telenor or telecom generally. Expect anything.

    • I’d appreciate if you comment here only for or against the topic that is being discussed.

      • hahah nice one admin… but why u dont say the same to people who were speaking against a specific company or indivdual in comment at top

    • Great thing,

      i think the best poondi is provided by these celcos on their customer care offices or in front office or Corporate Officers and Managers.

      This thing was followed by Multinational Bank.

      God forbid the rumors (i don’t wanna discuss)

      so this boycott should start from telenor Offices then in the general public instead point in the society.

  • Aamir,

    Its good to get people comments but why don’t you go for a pole on this website then we can have clear percentage of those who think parchi system is necessary in Telecom and those who think otherwise.

      • no no no,

        don’t put this in pole because poling is close end questionnaire while this open end questionnaire finds out the “dil ki bharaas” of the bloggers.

        • ha ha ha
          here we can find way to express New things.
          i got my problem solved once with the help of Pro Pakistani against PTCL..
          This is really good thing…

  • Regulator and government officials should be ashamed for pressurising Telenor since they don’t beleive in parchi system.

  • I my self got a chance for interview just because my friend forwarded my CV, otherwise they dont call me for interview. At the time of interview all candidates who came for interview having strong Parchi.

  • I, m the victim of parchi system of Telenor Pakistan, I was the topper of training held before launch of company at Fast University and I was supposed to work with third party, I worked with full dedication and gave record sales but I was not considered for company slot as I was not having strong parchi , still this practice is there only those we have good lobbing (parchi) can have chance to work with TP. Yes! Only where Norwegian are directly involved in hiring, things are transparent otherwise GANG SYSTEM HIRING ZINDA BAD.

    I , m surprised how they are preaching very innocently that everyone should speak against the parchi ??????

    • come on and cheer up guys, if someone believe on ‘parchi system’ while on job it means that he has weakest ever believe on Allah. if you believe Allah then definitely HE will give you reward anywhere /everywhere in life . To stuck with one organization and comment on parchi system is not a professional approach just scroll down your eyes world is full of opportunities and inviting you to come and grab. All you need is self-competency and trust on GOD.
      thank you,

      • I believe in Allah.
        However we have no merit and Allah will not come down from heavens to install merit in our system.

        Pakistan… I see a half empty glass.

  • Guys,

    Mobilink has like 5000 employees, everyone other then their employees will say that its because of Parchi.

    Similarly for Telenor, other than their 2000 employees, everyone will point fingers.

    Get a life guys, you need to work hard! If you deserve it, you will get it! no matter how big the parchi is.

    • Dear Concerned

      It’s the truth I shared this Just to portray the real face. Yes do agree in hard work and thanks for peice of advice.

    • so it applies to Telenor’s campaign too…the rest who didn’t get the chance should not shout against parchi. may be they don’t deserve as the rest of people except 2000 in their case.

      I still want to know what is the agenda behind provoking to youth by a multinational company!!!

  • Last April I got a chance to get through different interviews from celco having largest number of subscriber.

    Position was based on Islamabad while I am living in Karachi. I have gone through different level of interviews by phone (from Islamabad) and in person (in Karachi).

    Everything got finalized (Pay; benefits; relocation etc.). I waited for call but didn’t received when I called HR they told me they have forwarded my case to compensation ; they asked me to call them in 2 hours when I called them back they told me that position got onhold for indefinite time

    Now one year gone and I am still unable to understand how is it possible that company identified that they need resource and in next 30 days they feel they don’t need it.

    I know someone with political or bureaucratic parchi wala came in and replace me

    Parchi zindabad

  • I am witness of parchi system magic at Telenor, UFone, Mobilink and Warid. i know couple of guys who got hired on senior level posts at Telenor and Mobilink just because they got a strong inside reference.

  • Aamir, lets teach our ppl to be optimist. Telecom is not the end, i see hundreds of Jobs for Sales and Marketing everyday. Its just that due the media presence of telcos,; our youth/professionals are thinking Telecom sector as the best. Lets think out of the box. We need more SME’s and entrepreneurs plz. Lets think about Pakistan!!

  • first thing i would like to say that our private culture has given different name to corruption, parchi systrm etc.
    every body knows that if u do noy have any ref, no body will call u even for interview.
    This practice is called reference and not a parchi.
    i belive that parchi and ref is same thing with two diff names

  • Khamooshi ka boycott?….. For me its nothing but just a TVC to promote their brand.
    Parchi system has its roots not only in Telecom sector but in other sectors it is also required to get a job.
    I wonder…. it has become almost impossible to get a job without Parchi especially in Telecom sector.

  • All bloggers are hating on telenor because telenor dosen’t give them importance and being so the ignorance triggers rage and gusa among these so called “wanna bee bloggers” who’ve been copying stuff from techgeek and other blogs…..I think telenor should also give out “free phones” and arrange dinners like mobilink did for these wannabees to shut them up! inko bhi Parchi milni chaheye hahahah kyun amir bhai? mera comment post zarror kerna !

  • I know a girl in warid who was studying with me in my uni. She was hell of a dumb girl with far less gpa from others and cant even do a thing correctly except talking a lot. Her cousin was in warid so she was selected among all candidates for a good position nd she is working there.

  • I do agree… the jobs are offered on parchi/reference basis in all telecoms, i too being a victum of wateen telecom, telenor and mobilink. I have seen several guys, who dun deserve jobs coz of their capabilities but standing in good positions as well as earning good.

  • am Mansoor from Lahore, working as Network Engineer in my own company….

    I have a question from u all….. DID U EVER SEE ANY ADD IN NEWS REGARDING HIRING OF ENGINEERS for BSS or MSC or NOC??? Never!!!

    How they hire these people??? :)

  • i know few guys at Telenor & Warid who are not even MATRIC. they are getting 40+. howz that!!!

  • As somebody who works in HR of Telecom, at a decision making position, here is my take.

    1. Yes, parchi exists, I my self have processed cases on people, whom I rejected in HR interviews. Why, because CEO/CTO tell me to do it.

    2. Parchi & referral are two very different things. Referrals are always welcome & usually result in good hiring decisions.

    3. In addition to parchi, what about nepotism? or discrimination by employers, specially some operators who only want to hire people from certain institutes.

    Why don’t we raise voice against it, well we do, some we reject & others we end up hiring, because frankly, if your CEO is not willing to understand that an incompetent resource will hog & hinder the concerned team’s performance, than just get on with it. (that’s a realistic view)

    You can feel free to differ & argue.

  • “parchi” system is a very relative term, in my point of view. Playing the devil’s advocate here, but here’s my two-cents:

    – IF you have two positions open, and almost a hundred candidates applying. You have pressure from management to hire a candidate quickly (this is always the case). How do you short-list? As a layman, I would definitely not go on to interview each and every one of them. I’d shortlist through Institutes, then perhaps grades. 100% fair…probably not, but very effective with scarce resources

    – I truly believe in referrals. An interview, or even a round of interviews only tells you so much about a candidate. Some MNCs (abroad) even take candidates out to parties and see how their future potential employee behaves in public. But let’s face it that not everyone can afford to do that. Next best thing, if you’re planning on hiring an experienced candidate (not fresh grad), get a referral from a sound source.

    – This is where the good can turn to bad and ugly. If the “intent” is to please someone…then indeed the referral system can be complained about. Otherwise, I’d still propose a “parchi” system which can get me good and competent candidates. If indeed a good parchi system is being followed in telco industry…then let it be. Someone will always be complaining…and that’s a fact. While I agree that some people would have been wrongfully dropped out of a list, as long as the person hiring has been loyal to the needs of his/her organization, long live parchi system!

  • if i talk about my Personal experience I must say there is 90% perchi system in telecom…
    I did apply in almost each and every single telecom company of Pakistan…from Operators to Vendors and even 3rd parties or subcontractors…but no output!

    As a fresh candidate i had got ideal skills…I was Gold Medalist from BZU and also had got professional level cisco courses….But becides that all, 2 of my class fellows with having nothing but a similar to mine’s degree with around 2.5 CGPA…and they got hired in Ufone and mobilink!!!

    I also applied on those posts and i didn’t even got any email reply and those two friends of mine are now serving there:)

    Only Because they had a BIG PERCHI…and i hadn’t

    and yep, its not my claim…they told me themselves :p

  • Though all of us against this but this is also a fact that every one of us try to use parchi system. Some have access and some have not. Those who don’t have access don’t like this but in heart they want to use this to accomplish the desired results easily.

  • I know a lot of guys in MOBILINK who didn’t deserve a job & post where they sitting (and there were much better candidates than them), but they got the job through parchi.

  • This post is synonymous to asking Telenor personnel “is Telenor a very bad company”..? He will definitely say “NO”..

    So why to go to them and ask if parchi system works there..They will definitely say NO and who don’t!

    WasteI

  • “KAMOSHI KA BOYCOTT” karney waley besharmo, Apney aur doosry BEYHOODA aur BEYSHARAM advertisment band karo, aik taraf se achay bantey hain aur doosri taraf se behooda advertisment :@@@

  • I am a telecom engineer and still sending CV to telecom companies who never reply me. My degree has become 2 and half years old.
    I have no contacts in any company. I wonder whether anybody will ever respond to my job applications?
    I am seriously short of hope.

  • How ironic is that – a company which has initiated the process to get rid off the Parchi system is a victim himself. There are crooks everywhere and people working in higher ups of telecom sector is no different than all those sitting in the parliament looting the wealth of the country one way or the other.

  • dear intellects! by this discussion you should mean pressurizing the employer to give the employee a job but if someone working with the employer refers him to a boy to be employed than there is no fault in it . neither will it be a managerial mistake to hire the person if compaitable for the work. But lets face it : in this world presurizing also works if you got the guts… what i mean is refrence is not a crime but presurizing someone and giving him the position he is not applicable for that is a crime .. When WE understand the difference , We”ll fight the crime..

    P>S> ive got a new keyboard!

  • I think it is useless to talk about companies or organizations. The real culprit is Pakistani people and their pathetic culture.Perchi, F&F is part of our civilization and is found everywhere.Zardari is true representative of Pakistani people.For anyone who think they are competent (including myself),try to go away from this dumb land and wait for this civilization to collapse by its shitty people.All good minds are going abroad and only garbage is left behind, which will bring civilization down even faster. Ever heard of any good technology solution developed by Telco in Pakistan? These bunch of retards are not able to make anything and will always be spoon fed by other nations.

  • Obviously there is a parchi system in telecom sector … witnessed many hirings through and know many people


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