Solangi hopes political parties will work for special persons

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Thursday expressed the optimism that political parties would take into account special steps and initiatives for the welfare of special persons in their manifestos.

“Political parties should come up with programmes for special persons in their election manifestos and programmes,” Solangi said while delivering a speech at a function organised by the Pakistan Disabled Foundation for differently-abled persons.

He that legislation for the welfare of special persons was also the responsibility of the elected representatives.

He said special persons or differently-abled persons also had the right to vote. He said that they should present their justified demands to the leadership of political parties and vote for those parties which would fulfil their demands.

“No one was disabled in the real sense as nature had blessed humans with unlimited abilities,” he said, adding that those who could not see with eyes, might adjudge a lot with their hearts.

In the developed countries of the world, the requirements of differently-abled people were taken care of as all people enjoyed equal rights, he added.

The minister said that unfortunately in Pakistan, building codes did not take into account the facilities of differently-abled people.

Last month, representatives from various UN agencies, foreign missions, experts, and rights activists pledged to empower persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Pakistan, enabling them to break the chains of poverty and unlock their boundless potential.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Special Talent Exchange Programme (STEP) in collaboration with the Australian High Commission celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) as part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign on the prevention of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

Senior representatives of the UNFPA, Australian High Commission, government officials, representatives of various NGOs working on inclusivity and resilience building, academic fraternity, and the public from various walks of life participated in the event. During the event, accessibility was ensured for persons with disabilities, including venue accessibility, international sign language interpretation, and live captioning.