Daily Times

Political parties that accommodate human diversity not only respect fundamental freedoms but also mobilise people’s full potential. Such political parties do have a different agenda and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) is certainly one of them. The PTI has become the first party in Pakistan to announce a policy vision for disabled persons. It is Imran Khan who has promised a bright future to the disabled persons, accepting that they are a vital part and have to be integrated in society.

What upsets one is that Pakistan over the years has failed to provide a decent life to persons with disabilities (PWDs). The previous governments, despite having authority, could not commit to nurturing a society that values the contribution of all its citizens and inhabitants, including the 5.035 million people living in the country with disabilities. In spite of having ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), not much has been done to deal with this issue on a priority basis at the federal and provincial level, even after the 18th Amendment. Although policies have been devised, their slow implementation continues to be an impediment in providing basic rights to PWDs.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), despite being a democratic party, did not fully appreciate the fact that disabled people are human beings too. When a party based on an egalitarian agenda ignores such an important aspect of a society, that society is bound to collapse. When the government fails to provide employment to persons with disabilities, these people do not only become a burden for their families but for the state as well. It is the obligation of people in power to break down barriers for these people and to ensure they get decent education and jobs.

The 2013 PPP manifesto leaves one with dismay, as once again it has failed to reflect on the needs and rights of disabled people. The PTI, on the contrary, has a full-fledged policy vision for the disabled and is bent upon improving their lives. It is important to delve deeper into the PTI’s policy for the rights of the disabled and see what the party has to offer. The PTI’s chief, Imran Khan, vowed that if elected he would allocate money for PWDs in the national and provincial budgets, which means that for the first time in our history, these people will be recognised in the state policies and official documents. The labour force survey of 2012 does not even recognise disabled persons. Although 15 percent of the country’s population comprises of disabled persons, you will not even come across the word ‘disabled’ in the survey and that is quite perturbing indeed. In the history of Pakistan, not a single government or a political party has addressed the issues and grievances of PWDs in the manner they should have been addressed. Although policies on the rights of the disabled exist, there is still a noticeable lack of will to implement them in their true sense.

It is true that people with disabilities cannot be promised lives that healthy and sound people lead, but this certainly does not imply that governments have the mandate to exclude them from the development agenda. Apart from a few schools and institutions that are initiatives of the private sector, people with disabilities rarely get an opportunity to acquire education. The PTI is the first political party that has genuinely promised scholarships to those disabled students who are keen on pursuing higher education and their policy depicts how serious this party is in empowering the disabled and enabling them to live independent lives.

Pakistan has adequate laws that address the issues of people with disabilities; most of these laws are supportive of the idea of provision of employment to disabled people. One such legislative piece is the Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation) Ordinance 1981, which has been ignored at numerous instances by the governments over the years. It is the PTI’s policy on the disabled persons that has once again revived the importance of the 1981 Ordinance. The PTI has projected the determination to implement the 1981 Ordinance in its true sense and this commitment to work towards the rights of the disabled has been reiterated in the policy time and again. Now that the PTI has secured a majority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) we shall see a positive change in the lives of persons with disabilities, but the question is would Khan be able to provide jobs to them in the KP region? Will he be able to implement this policy in its letter and spirit?

As the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the leading political party in power, there are a lot of expectations but the question arises is it prepared to meet them? If one goes through the PML-N party manifesto that is spread over 110 pages, it will be revealed that PWDs have not been given as much attention as they deserve. The PML-N absolves itself from any further commitments by saying that “education scholarships will be provided to the orphans and disabled”. It does not specifically talk about providing jobs to disabled people in its policy and about catering to the problems faced by disabled people such as lack of ramps for those on wheelchairs. The disabled in Pakistan lead a very miserable life and I have witnessed how difficult it was for the people on wheelchairs to vote at the polling stations in the elections this year. Why was this issue not addressed in the elections at the polling stations? This time around people on wheelchairs had to be carried inside, something that was quite a hassle.

The PTI is perhaps the only party that is talking about including PWD in the mainstream of society as the policy states the “PTI will acknowledge, facilitate and empower all PWDs enabling them to lead independent and self-fulfilling lives. The PTI will raise the awareness about integration of PWDs and it will work towards the prevention of certain avoidable disabilities through early diagnosis and medical treatment.” It is only the PTI that talks about empowering PWD so that they become an important segment of society and lead normal lives despite their shortcomings.

Let us see how the elections 2013 turn out to be for the disabled and whether they get their due rights and status in Pakistan. The only thing that matters at the end of the day is that we are citizens of Pakistan and we have an obligation towards others in our society as no one is more significant than the other.

The writer is a lawyer and a researcher based in Lahore and can be reached at sarashujat@hotmail.com