ISLAMABAD: An NGO working on the rights of disabled people has criticised the government’s abolition of the 2pc jobs quota for disabled people in companies and asked that it be reversed.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Potohar Mental Health Association (PMHA) said that instead of bringing reforms and change to the lives of people with disabilities, the government has violated their right to employment by abolishing the jobs quota through an ordinance.

The government promulgated an ordinance in early May amending various sections of the Companies Act and deleting section 459, which had ensured employment opportunities for people with disabilities by allocating a 2pc quota for them in public and private companies.

The ordinance was promulgated to clear individuals who had entered into plea bargains with the National Accountability Bureau for appointments as directors in various companies, according to media reports.

The statement said: “Ordinance 1981 had earmarked 1pc employment quota for PWDs that was later increased to 2pc by the Pakistan Peoples’ Party government in 2009. But this government has abolished the quota with one stroke of the pen depriving them of already scarce job opportunities.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2020