Inclusive policies: Political parties urged to include specially abled in manifestos

PPP vows to empower specially abled people

ISLAMABAD: A rights-based organisation working for specially abled people has welcomed the 2018 manifesto of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for committing to empower the specially abled and called upon other parties to follow the suit.

In a statement released Wednesday, Potohar Mental Health Association (PMHA) extended its heartfelt gratitude to PPP leadership for dedicating a significant portion of its 2018 manifesto to people living with handicaps. The manifesto calls for reviewing legislation about specially abled people, besides ensuring their political and electoral participation.

Though several political parties have disability wings none of the other parties mentioned them in their manifestoes.

“This is the first time in the history of Pakistan that any political party has made such a comprehensive commitment for specially abled people”, noted PMHA Chief Executive Zulqurnain Asghar. He further added that a lot still needs to be done to translate words into actions.

The organisation also called upon other parties especially the mainstream parties such as Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to include the rights specially abled people in their manifestoes. These parties have yet to announce their manifestoes.

This way, PMHA hoped that this will ensure a broad-based political agreement towards mainstreaming the specially abled.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2018.