SC irked by Sindh govt's non-compliance with disability quotas

Apex court orders provincial govt to complete recruitment of PWDs within four months in all departments

KARACHI:

The Supreme Court (SC) strictly ordered the Sindh government to comply with recruitment quotas for People With Disabilities (PWDs) on Wednesday expressing displeasure over its lax attitude in policy implementation.

A bench comprising of Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi heard the petition.

The apex court had been moved after the petitioner claimed that the provincial government had failed to grant jobs to PWDs on quotas reserved for them.

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The petitioner's counsel informed the court today that special quotas had been allocated in all departments of the province.

Nonetheless, he stated, the Sindh government was not giving government jobs to PWDs, requesting the court to take notice and order the government to comply.

Additional Advocate General (AAG) Sindh told the court that there were vacancies in government offices, assuring the bench that the seats would be filled.

Further, the AAG argued that the provincial government had made "some headway" on the implementation of the quota.

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However, the court expressed its dissatisfaction with the Sindh government's progress on the matter and failing to implement the quota fully.

The SC granted two weeks' time to initiate the hiring process and ordered the provincial government to complete recruitment in all departments for PWDs within four months.

Earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi had emphasised the need for uniform, comprehensive and all-inclusive facilitation of differently-abled persons (DAPs) for their registration with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

Talking to NADRA Chairman Muhammad Tariq Malik, the president stressed resolving the issues pertaining to the issuance of identity cards, provision of healthcare facilities, and assessment of their disability level and its nature in a hassle-free manner. He had said the DAPs' inclusiveness was essential for developing a strong and healthy society.

During the meeting, the president urged the need for a comprehensive and inclusive awareness campaign at the national and provincial levels to eliminate discrimination against the DAPs in society and to remove stigmas and stereotypes.

He had also called for granting complete access to the disabled in mainstream educational institutions without any discrimination or non-professional treatment. He said training institutions should take steps for the inclusion of DAPs, and devise special curricula and techniques for their skill development.