Dr Alvi asks business community to create opportunities for persons with disabilities

President Dr Arif Alvi has urged the business community and private organisations to create opportunities in collaboration with the government for persons with disabilities (PWDs) so as to assist them in leading a better life and contributing to society.

Addressing an ‘Interactive Dialogue on PWDs’ organised by World Health Organisation (WHO) at the Governor House on Saturday, he said the government was making all-out efforts to provide disabled persons with their rights and facilities.

President Dr Arif Alvi said, “The government alone cannot do it all and the private sector should come forward in this regard.”

He said society needed inclusiveness and acceptability, and persons with disabilities should be provided with easier access to technology and increased accessibility to public places by making good conditions for them.

The president emphasised that the inclusion of PWDs into the mainstream of society would help them grow as more fruitful citizens of society.

He said mainstreaming would also help dispel prejudiced notions among our populations and transform the dependence of PWDs into their freedom through job creation and opportunities.

He urged all the federal and provincial government stakeholders for using technologies to maximise the job opportunities for PWDs.

Dr Alvi said educational and training institutes should be encouraged to enrol PWDs, especially those with physical, visual, or hearing disabilities, without discrimination and stressed the availability of trained teachers.

He said that approximately 10 per cent out of the population of the country was of PWDs. He said that the issuance of disability cards by Nadra to PWDs was appreciable.

Stressing the need for accurate data on persons with disabilities, he said there should be more effective and comprehensive awareness campaigns so that the PWDs could come forward to register themselves and avail facilities.

Dr Alvi also stressed the need for ensuring moveable ramps and availability of wheelchairs at different places, including educational institutions and other organisations for the PWDs.

He sought suggestions and inputs from the participants of the dialogue to overcome the challenges being faced by the PWDs.

CM promises help

The Sindh government is ready to serve persons with disabilities in every way and will cooperate with every department, non-governmental organisations and other bodies working to promote and protect the rights of such persons.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said this on Saturday while speaking at a programme organised by the Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities on International Day of Persons with Disabilities that falls on December 3.

The event, which was held at the Banquet Hall of the CM House, was attended by NGOs working for special persons, businessmen, senior government officers, members of civil society, persons with disabilities, and others.

Shah said that it was the third programme for the persons with disabilities at the CM House. He added that his government was committed to transforming the lives of persons having different disabilities who were marginalised and exposed to societal vulnerabilities, discrimination and exploitation by ensuring their rights to privacy, equity in education, equity in health, rehabilitation services and equity in skill development and employment.

The CM remarked that for the year 2022, the United Nations’s theme for the day was ‘Transformative Solutions for Inclusive Development’.

He added that the transformative solutions for inclusive development covered three different interactive areas, including innovation for disability-inclusive development in employment, equality, and sport.

He maintained that the Sindh government in the light of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Constitution of Pakistan and Sindh Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Act 2018 had made all-out efforts to ensure for the persons with disabilities an environment of equality and non-discrimination in the province when it came to self-respect, individual dignity, right to education, health, rehabilitation services, participation in socio-political, recreational and sports activities.

The CM said that his government had established state-of-the-art campuses in Karachi and Hyderabad for autistic rehabilitation. He added that such campuses would soon be extended to other districts and divisions of the province.

The Sindh Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre was also a state-of-the-art and magnificent project established in Karachi and soon, other campuses would be established in all the divisional headquarters of the province, the CM said, adding that his government was keen on working with renowned non-profit organisations working for disabled persons.

Earlier, the CM’s special assistant on persons with disabilities, Sadiq Memon, highlighted the performance of his department in the rehabilitation of the persons with disabilities.

On the occasion, children with disabilities presented tableaus, national songs and plays which were lauded by the audience.