Inclusion of the differently-abled

Inclusion of all segments of people in its society is a hallmark of a strong democratic country

Inclusion of all segments of society is a hallmark of a strong democratic country. Pakistan’s path towards being a decent democratic nation continues to be a tumultuous one, with campaigns on female voting only recently picking up momentum. Plowing forward and building on that momentum, the Pakistan Alliance for Inclusive Elections and the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives is lobbying to incorporate differently-abled citizens into the voting process. We strongly support this initiative, reiterating that the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities must be heeded as Pakistan has vowed to uphold its virtues. Differently-abled persons deserve equal say in day-to-day matters.

Notwithstanding the pedestrian democratic matters that all citizens deserve to be a part of, including differently-abled persons in the electoral process would gradually alleviate the plight of future generations of differently-abled persons. Recognising their intelligent abilities, incredible willpower, and magnanimous hearts, they comprise a crucial part of society. Thus, including them in the process of electing effective leaders and officials would better facilitate them so that differently-abled persons can be provided the opportunities and platforms to become contributing members of society. Statistics such as 95 per cent of Peshawar’s NA-4 polling stations being inaccessible to differently-abled persons underscore their paucity in the entire electoral process. However, gathering such statistics is a great start because resultantly, we can begin analysing what improvements need to be made not only in terms of legislation, but also practical steps to be taken.

Once it is determined that a differently-abled person is mentally fit or that the extent of disability of one’s mental processes does not make him or her ineligible to decide on and elect their government leaders, there is no reason to exclude a differently-abled person from the process. While we cannot manage to get these members of society to our polling stations, differently-abled persons are making headlines elsewhere for participating in more than just this process, preparing for Olympic contests and securing jobs to make a positive impact for their respective countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2017.

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