Govt urged to protect rights of PWDs

HARIPUR: The speakers at a seminar on Saturday urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to ensure provision of rights to the persons with disabilities (PWDs) on the principles of inclusiveness and specific legislation in line with provisions of the United Nations Convention.

The event, “leadership and participation of PWDs towards an inclusive accessible and sustainable post covid-19 world,” was organised by the department of Social Welfare, Women Empowerment and Special Education, Haripur, and Sungi Development Foundation in connection with International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Children with disabilities from different schools of Haripur, Abbottabad and Mansehra attended the function and exhibited their skills amid applause from the audience. Officials of different government departments, civil society attended the event.

Speaking to the participants, Muzzamil Hussain, a physically-challenged consultant to the federal government on census 2022, said that draft Act on the rights of PWDs has been moving between the ministries of social welfare and law and human rights in KP for the last eight years while Sindh and Balochistan have taken lead and legislated special laws for the rights of PWDs.

Talking about the need for inclusiveness, he said that there were a total of 1.1 million children of zero to 14 years of age in the province but only 6000 were enrolled in the schools meant for special children and rest were out of school and needed to be brought in the regular schools.

He said that he was not opposed to the idea of special education for the CWDs but for the purpose of getting them out of isolation and achieving the objective of inclusive society the PWDs and CWDs must have to be facilitated like ordinary children.

Tehsinul Haq, president Awaz district forum, presented a charter of demands, asking the provincial government to launch one window for PWDs at tehsil level as most of the building structures of government departments discourage their accessibility.

Deputy Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Altaf Hussain in his speech appreciated the performance of CWDs who presented different skits on this occasion and announced that the efforts were afoot to bring specific legislation after proper vetting of the draft.