Top court summons AGP and advocate generals to assist the court in the case. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Accepting a petition for the enforcement of fundamental rights of disabled persons, the Supreme Court on Wednesday summoned the attorney general for Pakistan and all advocate generals to assist it in the case.
A three-judge bench – headed by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani – took up the petition, seeking the top court’s intervention regarding the enforcement of fundamental rights of millions of persons with disabilities.
Advocate Raheel Kamran Sheikh filed the petition on behalf of six disabled persons under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, making the federal and provincial governments, national and provincial Councils for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons and others as respondents.
The petitioners requested the apex court to direct all respondents to disclose their efforts to fulfill their obligations under the law and the Constitution for the enforcement of fundamental rights of persons with disabilities.
They also prayed to the court to order the respondents about the implementation of all the relevant provisions of the 1981 Ordinance and the Provincial Acts for the purposes of ensuring the employment of persons with disabilities against the disability quota in all government, commercial and industrial establishments, at the federal and provincial levels.
“Likewise, the Nadra should be directed to implement all necessary measures to facilitate persons with disabilities in obtaining Special National Identity Cards, including simplification of procedures and introduction of one-window operations,” the petition further said.
Citing the recent reports on disability, it said the incidence of disability in Pakistan could safely be assumed between 10% and 15% of the total population.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 6th, 2014.
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