Differently-abled urged to enhance mental resilience

Ahsan Iqbal distributes electric wheelchairs among 50 students

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has advised differently-abled university students to cultivate mental resilience in order to achieve success in life.

The Minister was addressing a ceremony held at the HEC Secretariat on Wednesday in connection with the distribution of electric wheelchairs among students under the last phase of the ‘Prime Minister’s Electric Wheelchair for University Students’.

As many as 50 students received electric wheelchairs during the ceremony. In the first phase of the scheme, launched back in 2017, 206 electric wheelchairs were provided to physically challenged university students, while 159 wheelchairs were handed over to students in the second phase.

While quoting Stephen Hawking, Ahsan Iqbal said that “An otherwise healthy person with no use of mental capabilities is worthless, while a physically challenged person who utilises their mind can mark great achievements”. He further said that the future of Pakistan depends on making the right decisions on time, as any wrong decision can put the country’s future at stake. A country’s development gets haunted if there is a lack of patience, perseverance as well as consistency of policies, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2023.