ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has ordered Pakis­tan Rail­ways to consider revisiting its personnel manual to meet international standards when dealing with people with disabilities.

The court directed it to ensure that the manual complies with fundamental rights, the Constitution as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In a judgement, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah observed that “policies must be made by the state to safeguard the interest of persons suffering from infirmity or sickness”. The court had taken up an appeal moved by Railways aga­inst a Federal Services Tribunal order.

The controversy emerged when Umar Daraz (respondent) appointed was as ‘pointsman’ in BS-5 in 2001. However, during the service, Mr Daraz was incapacitated and suffered from visual impairment and thus declared unfit to serve as the pointsman.

The manual suggests that if an officer in service is incapacitated, they could be adjusted to another post.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2023