Hearing, speaking impaired seek driving licences

Islamabad : The hearing and speaking impaired people gathered at the National Press Club here for their right to get a driving licence, says a press release.

Addressing a press conference at the press club, deaf community’s representative Syed Zada Adam Hassan (advocate high court) said the hearing and speaking impaired people have learned driving from different training institutes in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. He said the deaf community is deprived of its rights and it is facing a lot of difficulties.

Syed Zada Adam said the right of driving licence to deaf community was allowed in 1920. He said Nepal, Sri Lanka, European and Arab countries have granted right of driving to deaf community. He said only 26 out of 190 countries of the world have not given driving licences to deaf people. He said a high court in India has also ordered granting of driving licences to hearing impaired people.

“The government is unwilling to accept our demands. Driving licences should be issued to the deaf,” he said.

He demanded the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan to amend the law and allow the deaf people to have driving licences.