ISLAMABAD: Legislation to ameliorate the difficulties of people with disabilities and support them to become a productive part of every socioeconomic strata of society will be the main objective of the first Parliamentary Committee on Disabled Persons, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser said on Wednesday.

Mr Qaiser was speaking as the chair of the first meeting of the special committee, held at Parliament House.

“An affirmative action based programme was a prerequisite step to uplift the lives of the people with disabilities. This committee will effectively advocate for protection of their rights through necessary legislation and mobilisation of state institutions. It was the collective responsibility of the government and society to cater to the needs of such a special segment of the society,” he said.

He said the committee would undertake comprehensive stakeholder consultations to develop a roadmap to capitalise on the potential of disabled people as productive citizens of the state.

Committee members praised Mr Qaiser’s efforts for the protection of rights of people with disabilities.

Mr Qaiser said the government was focusing on the inclusion of marginalised segments of society in the mainstream. He said people with disabilities have all the capabilities and potential, and capitalising on these traits needs encouragement and policy intervention by parliamentarians.

He constituted a subcommittee of four members to finalise the terms of reference of the committee in collaboration with welfare organisations that work with people with disabilities.

He said the committee would be task oriented and would follow the successes of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Executive Committee of Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Mr Qaiser praised the Akhwat Foundation for its welfare projects, particularly in Kasur and Sheikhupura. He said technical assistance from welfare organisations would be vital to bringing legislation initiatives for people with disabilities.

Representatives of various organisations working for people with disabilities briefed the committee on the difficulties, existing policies, and barriers to uplifting the lives of people with disabilities.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2020