- Pakistan has prepared a bill to offer equal opportunities to people with disabilities in the country.
- Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted about it on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Dubai: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has prepared a bill to offer equal opportunities, in both education and employment, to people of determination in the country.
On his official Twitter account, @ImranKhanPTI, Khan posted: “On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I want to reiterate our government’s commitment to transforming the lives of those with disabilities by offering them equal opportunities in education and employment. Our Bill to empower and enable them to surmount all barriers is ready.”
There are at least 30 million people of determination in Pakistan, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). And according to a report prepared by the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, the existing legislation in Pakistan, ‘Disabled people (Employment and Rehabilitation) Ordinance 1981’, has not specifically allocated the funds for the representative organisations of people of determination.
The report further states that once a year, rare opportunities are made available that deal with charity, to provide financial assistance and distribute assistive devices.
Following this, multiple other policies were also formed. In 2002, Pakistan formed a National Policy 2002, which was later translated into the National Action Plan 2006. This was meant to focus on 17 identified critical areas regarding people of determination. The latest policy was issued in 2012, called Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation) (Amendment) Act 2012. However, the United Nations (UN) report confirms that Pakistan has been unable to secure the rights of people of determination thus far.
Despite that, social media users in the country are now hopeful that Khan’s bill is a step in the right direction. Tweeps urge him to focus on the needs of those of determination, especially children.
Tweep @izaanch123 posted: “That’s amazing. I think you should work on education a lot because it’s bad right now, like really bad.”
@farahmuhamdi tweeted: “That’s great. We must serve humanity, it’s our responsibility and also a step towards social betterment.”
Tweep @fouzi_s wrote: “There is a plan and a purpose, a value to every life, no matter what its location, age, gender or disability.”
@MansurA47607719 tweeted: “Please consider mental illness as a disability, too. It’s high time.”
Tweep @DrAyeshaNaveed added: “Please build schools for special children, including those who are deaf, mute and blind. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, I am unable to find any higher secondary school for them.”
On December 3, the world marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, as stated by the UN. This day aims to promote the rights and well-being of people of determination "in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life”.
According to a report by Geo News, a Pakistan-based news channel, Pakistan is also participating in raising awareness of the situation. The report stated that many civil society organisations, academic institutes and organisations focusing on the needs of people of determination “have planned various activities to mark the day and to discuss the way forward for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development”.
The WHO states that 15 per cent of the world’s population experience some form of disability. People of determination are more likely to experience adverse situations in life, such as barriers to full social and economic inclusion, inaccessible physical environments and transportation and gaps in service delivery among others, as stated by the World Bank.
