Despite deprivation of basic needs and fundamental rights of disabled persons the international day of persons with disabilities was celebrated throughout the country. On the international day of persons with disabilities, the Association of Physically Handicapped Adults (APHA) organised a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Friday.
At the conference, Sharif-ul-Muzaffar, President of APHA, who is physically handicapped, said that mobility is one of the major problems of physically handicapped people.
He said that handicapped people are still deprived of their rights and basic needs in Pakistan despite more than ten percent population of the country comprises of disabled persons. Handicapped persons are provided with their fundamental needs and rights all over the world and are living successful life without depending on anybody else. However, in Pakistan ramp and railing for moving easily have not yet been made available to the disabled persons, he said.
He demanded of the government to remove every hurdle from public places for free movement of handicapped people and said that handicapped are also part of the society. "We live! Don't just exist", he added. He said that PWD is a 'person with disability' in which 'Person' comes first and then the word 'Disability', which says that PWDs should be taken as human first and then disabled. "We also have the right to live freely, and we don't want to get dependent on anybody," he added.
He said that government should facilitate handicapped persons properly so that the handicapped can live without depending on anyone else and the rights should also be protected. The government should direct educational institutions to ensure admission of handicapped persons especially children without any hesitation and allow them to study with normal people, he said.
Dr Maimoona Bari, member of the managing committee of APHA, talking about problems of female handicapped persons, said that the females are facing so many problems, especially while visiting some public place. She demanded construction of ramp and said that proper ramp should be constructed along every road and at all public place "so that we can move freely without the help of anybody". She said that the world is progressing fast and working for the welfare of the handicapped persons as well, but in Pakistan no productive work is in progress for the disables persons.
Farzana Khan, member of executive committee of APHA, who is physically disabled and was on wheel chair, said that the physically handicapped people are not even getting any advantage from two percent quota in jobs as, instead of giving fixed quota jobs to the disabled persons, normal persons are getting benefit from it.
She appealed to the government and concerned officials to provide jobs to the physically handicapped people so that they can lead better life and ensure that from the fixed two percent job quota of disabled persons only the deserving get benefited.
Shazia Yousuf, who is physically handicapped but despite of it she is working in Nadra for ten years, said: "I travel by bus for going office and face so many difficulties and problems daily. The government should pay heed towards the solution of issues of handicapped persons".
She said that transport is one of the major problems for the handicapped people and there is no facility for disabled people in any public transport. Green buses were introduced a few years back but all have gone underground, she added. Shazia claimed that those who can see but never understand are all handicapped and said that "we do not need any sympathy; we need our basic rights." At the end, all participants appreciated the efforts of government for controlling polio through free vaccine drops.
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