LAHORE: Azauj, a revolutionary matrimonial matchmaking service, has launched an exclusive service to facilitate the disabled people and in this regard, held a ceremony at the Arfa Software Technology Park on Sunday. The Azauj team, which is committed to provide efficient matchmaking service to Pakistanis living all over the world, has started this service on the demands of disabled people and their families. The Azauj team has also undergone extensive Disability Equality Training, which was provided by Punjab Research and Development Youth Connect in order to be sensitised about the special needs of disabled people. The launching event was attended by disabled people, their families, friends and members of Azauj’s matchmaking team. Azauj (spouse) is being supported by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). Finding a suitable life partner for one’s self, siblings or children is an arduous task and most households in Pakistan and abroad face this serious issue every now and then. Available matchmaking services and traditional matchmakers at large have failed to provide efficient and effective solutions. Their procedures also entail huge financial implications, which can be ignored, but the emotional ordeal that most go through is too much to bear. The service of Azauj is to revolutionise the traditional matchmaking process for Pakistanis by incorporating sophisticated technology tools, customised according to our social and cultural norms/needs. The launch event titled ‘Azauj Special’ was led by internationally acclaimed Pakistani luminary and Muhammad Saleem Ahmad Ranjha, Mayo Hospital’s Medicine and Rehabilitation Department head, author and scholar Dr Khalid Jamil, Punjab Welfare Trust for Disabled Director and member of AKUWAT board of directors (BoD) Dr Izhar Hashmi, and Highly Enthusiastic and Educative for Rights and Awareness (HEERA) and Punjab Research and Development Youth Connect President Advocate Omer Pervaiz Malik. Dr Khalid Jamil said there was a misconception that disabled people are unable to function in normal society. Pakistan is a society that needs to accept different ways in which disabled people can contribute and, in a majority of cases, these contributions can outweigh those of normal people. He appreciated Sadia Cheema and the Azauj team and called the new venture for special people “brilliant”. He said that the most important part of the marriage of disabled people was that they should like each other as well as have a general acceptance of each other’s needs. Speaking on the occasion, Saleem Ranjha said that if the raw talents of disabled people are fostered, then they could reach the very pinnacle of their fields. He cited the example of Stephen Hawkings who had grown to be the greatest mind in the world’s history. Advocate Omer Pervaiz Malik said disability and functional limitation needs to be understood. He said that his organisation had already provided disability equality training to the Azauj team and reaffirmed his commitment to the facilitate the disable in future as well. Dr Izhar Hashmi said formal platform for tackling various issues related to marriage of disabled individuals was lacking. He expressed hope that through the sincere efforts of Azauj, this great gulf of understanding between disabled and normal people could be bridged for the benefit of all. Under the banner of Azauj Social, the matchmaking service provides families a distinctive forum, established for the first time in Pakistan, where they can meet and greet each other in an informal setting. Meetings and seminars are also organised in Lahore, Karachi and London under this initiative. Noted personalities, professional motivational speakers and trainers speak on different matchmaking and marital issues, self-development and mindfulness. They introduce the attendees to different perspectives offering different solutions. Sadia Saleem Cheema, a computer scientist, is the CEO of Azauj. Explaining this project, she said, “It is my sincere hope that our efforts will not just promote and facilitate better matchmaking but also provide a progressive platform from which outdated traditional norms and gender stereotypes can be challenged and, eventually, rejected.”