Int’l Day of Persons with Disability: PWDs await SC decision for enforcement of their rights

Islamabad: As world commemorates International Day of Persons with Disability (PWD), the representatives of PWDs await a big decision from Supreme Court ensuring accessibility and inclusion of PWDs in education, employment, transport, information and electoral processes.

Leaders of persons with disabilities filed a constitutional petition before the Supreme Court of Pakistan in December 2013, for the enforcement of the rights of persons with disabilities in accordance with the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disability and the Constitution of Pakistan.

Issues taken up in the petition included education and employment for persons with disabilities, accessibility of buildings and public transport, accessibility of information and media, availability of statistics and provision of voting rights.

The petition was admitted by the Supreme Court for regular hearing in March, 2014. The Court has been hearing the said case from time to time over the past almost five years. The decision on this petition is expected today (December 3) that is the International Day of Persons with Disability matching the theme of this year’s international day “Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality”. “If Supreme Court orders to ensure accessibility and inclusion in education, employment, transport, information and electoral processes, almost 20 million marginalized people will be able to contribute in the development of the country,” said President Special Talent Exchange Programme Muhammad Atif Sheikh.