MULTAN/SIALKOT:
Participants of several rallies organised in Multan on Saturday in connection with the International Day for Disabled People criticised the government for insufficient employment opportunities for disabled people.
They said quotas set aside by the government were not respected. They demanded that the quotas for disabled people in government jobs be increased from five per cent and additional social security be provided to them.
34-year-old Muhammad Husnain, visually-impaired, said he and his wife, also blind, had been unsuccessful in obtaining a job for over 12 years. He said they had two children and that he had been running his family with his parents’ support. “I want to work so that I can help my parents instead of being a burden on them but there are no jobs,” he said.
20-year-old Sajid Ali and his wife are also visually-impaired and unemployed. Ali said his parents were not very well-off and that there had been times when he and his wife survived went without food for up to three days at a stretch.
Mukhtar Ahmed, a physically-handicapped man, also complained of lack of support from the government. He alleged that baitul maal grants were only given to people with reference letters from influential people.
Dabeer Sajjad said he had been working for Rs6,000 a month for over 10 years.
He accused his employer of discrimination and said that he had not been promoted and his salary not raised because of his hearing-impairment.
A representative of Solidarity for Special Persons, an NGO working for disabled people, told The Express Tribune that there were over 500,000 disabled people in southern districts of the Punjab. He said only 3,000 disabled people in Multan had access to education. Several awareness raising ceremonies were organised in connection with the day in Sialkot.
Addressing a ceremony at The Light School for Special Children, its chief patron Tahir Majeed Kapoor encouraged the participants to work in whatever capacity they could to assist people with disabilities in becoming independent citizens. He said people needed to realise that the government alone could not ensure that these people received the support they needed.
Disabled children delivered speeches, presented national songs, tableau and participated in several competitions organised at the ceremony.
Another ceremony in connection with the day was organised by Sialkot Eden Lion Club (SELC).
SELC president Arif Khawar Butt said with some support from the government and civil society disabled people play an effective role in the progress of the country. He distributed books and toys among disabled children present at the ceremony.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2011.
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