First-ever braille version of 1973 Constitution released

The braille transcription was inaugurated during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the 1973 Constitution

ISLAMABAD:

The first-ever braille transcript of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan was released at the National Institution of Special Education, Islamabad on Wednesday in the presence of visually-impaired children and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

National Assembly Member (MNA) Asiya Azeem inaugurated the braille transcription during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the 1973 Constitution organised by the Directorate General of Special Education of the human rights ministry.

Braille is a system of touch-reading and writing for blind persons in which raised dots represent the letters of the alphabet. It also contains equivalents for punctuation marks and provides symbols for letter groupings. People read braille by moving their hand or hands from left to right along each line.

A declamation contest under the theme “My Constitution – Guarantee of my Freedom” was also held among students with different disabilities to sensitise the public in general and PWDs in specific about their fundamental rights.

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Visually-impaired children and students with other disabilities from eight special education institutes of the twin cities participated in the contest and enlightened the audience on the importance of the Constitution and its role in safeguarding the fundamental rights of citizens.

Speaking on the occasion after cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the braille version of the first two chapters of the Constitution, MNA Asiya Azeem said, “We can protect our rights only when we have complete knowledge about the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution.”

She appreciated students with disabilities for raising important points in their speeches about the liberty and responsibility of individuals. “Rights and duties are interlinked and duties of one are the rights of others.”

She said the date marked a historical moment in the constitutional history of Pakistan as the first-ever braille version of the first two chapters of the Constitution was published.

She informed the participants that the Parliamentary Advisory Committee overseeing preparations for the Golden Jubilee celebrations had proposed the inclusion of the first two chapters of the Constitution in the secondary education syllabus.

The MNA said persons with disabilities deserve appreciation for fighting multi-faceted challenges in their personal and professional lives. “It fills me with utmost happiness to learn that these special children are so talented and fully capable of holding the reigns of the country in the future.”

The lawmaker also awarded shields, medals, and certificates to the position holders of the declamation contest.

In the contest for physically impaired students, Muzammil and Navaira Naeem from the National Special Education Centre bagged the first and second positions, respectively, while the third position was clinched by Allah Maafi from Islamabad's National Training Centre for Special Persons.

Similarly, Shah Fahad and Abdul Samad from the National Special Education Centre got first and second position in the contest among visually impaired students while Sumaira Akbar from Govt High School for Blind Girls, Shamsabad, Rawalpindi stood third.

Director General of the Directorate General of Special Education (DGSE) Sheikh Azhar Sajjad, Director National Institute of Special Education Tasnim Waheed, and a larger number of teachers and students participated in the event.