Pakistan: Sindh to reserve seats for people of determination in local government councils

Karachi: The Sindh government has announced plans to reserve seats for people of determination in municipal councils so that they could take part in the decision-making process at the local-level to play an effective role for the welfare and rehabilitation of the fraternity of special people.

If implemented, Sindh would become the first province of Pakistan to reserve seats for people of determination in local government councils. Recently, there were reports of a similar decision made by Punjab Chief Minister, Usman Buzdar.

The announcement to reserve seats for people of determination was made by Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, as he addressed the ceremony hosted by the CM House in Karachi to celebrate the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. Differently-abled persons including special children attended the ceremony.

Special Assistant to Sindh Chief Minister, who look after Sindh government’s Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Sadiq Memon, while speaking on the occasion requested the CM to reserve seats in local government’s councils for special persons.

Memon said the law passed by the Sindh Assembly a few years ago for the rehabilitation, welfare, and employment of the differently-abled persons had called for reserving seats for special persons in the elected assemblies and local councils.

The CM said that he would talk to the federal government to adopt the required reforms so that the National and provincial assemblies in the country had seats reserved for the differently-abled persons.

He said the relevant non-governmental and charitable organisations in Sindh should consider his government as a trusted partner, which would give all-out support and resources for the rehabilitation and education of the special persons.

The government had been pursuing the mode of public-private partnership to implement programmes to rehabilitate special persons in Sindh.

The government was willing to establish centres for rehabilitation of special persons in every district of Sindh in partnership with the credible and qualified partners working in the non-governmental sector.

He said that the doors of the CM House were always open for the special persons as his official residence would every year host the programme to mark the global day for differently-abled persons.