ISLAMABAD, Dec 3: Former federal minister of sports, culture and minorities Col S K Tressler (retired) has called upon the local philanthropists to put their best foot forward to ensuring a better tomorrow for disabled children. The disabled children constitute 2.49 percent of the country’s population.

He was speaking as chief guest at a function held in connection with the International Day of Disabled Persons organised by the federal ministry of women development, social welfare and special education here on Tuesday.

“We as a nation as well as an individual owe the responsibility to look after disabled children so that they can live an honourable life in the society,” Tressler said. He added there were people in the society who didn’t have economic problems and could share the burden of the federal government to facilitate handicapped children.

He also called upon the parents of the special children to be extra careful in fulfilling their everyday needs and let them (children) not get the impression that they were misfit in the society.

Secretary ministry of women development Ms Parveen Qadir Agha in her welcome address gave a brief introduction of the steps the government was undertaking to help the special persons. “It is our social and religious obligation to look after those who are not normal like us,” she said.