White Cane Day: Balochistan doing little for visually impaired

Pakistan Association of Blind says jobs quota not being implemented

QUETTA: The government of Balochistan is denying the right to education and employment to visually impaired persons, the Pakistan Association of the Blind (PAB) said on Wednesday as it observed White Cane Day. The provincial government is not implementing the quota of jobs allocated for blind people in Balochistan, PAB said.

Addressing a news conference at Quetta Press Club on Wednesday, President of PAB’s Balochistan chapter Qari Saki Mohammed said it is regrettable that blind people in Balochistan are denied the opportunity to show their talents in any profession. “There is merely a quota of two per cent for blind people in Balochistan and even this is not being implemented,” he said.



He cited the example of the Sindh police, where more than 800 blind people are included in the institution. In comparison, only four visually impaired people from Balochistan have been recruited to the police – less than one per cent.

He pointed out that there is only one education center catering to special needs individuals in Balochistan. “There should be schools at a district level across Balochistan to provide such students with equal opportunities for education,” he said.

He demanded that the government provide employment to educated blind people within the education department so the education system could be improved.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2014.