HYDERABAD, Oct 18: The secretary general of the Pakistan Association of the Blind (PAB), Sindh chapter, Muzaffar Ali Qureshi, has appealed to the government to set up an independent organisation to patronize rehabilitation centres for the disabled and protect their fundamental rights.

Speaking as chief guest at an Iftar party hosted by the PAB in collaboration with Al-Umeed Lions Club to mark the “International White Cane Safety Day” at the Blind Women Resource Centre in Latifabad Unit No.7 on Tuesday night, he said that the non-government organisations for the disabled and rehabilitation centres were facing financial, administrative and technical difficulties.

They required a central organisation at the government level to help them, he said.

He expressed concern over non-implementation of two per cent quota in jobs for the disabled persons in the government organizations and suggested that a board of experts be constituted to examine and evaluate modern methods of skill development and absorb disabled persons in different fields, public or private.

He demanded that the government grant special concessions to special persons in travelling, utility bills and other necessities of routine life and ensure strict enforcement of traffic rules to provide road security to the special people.

He said that PAB Sindh chapter had a registered number of 2,500 blind members with 12 district branches out of which 755 members belonged to Karachi and 180 to Hyderabad district. The district branched provide computer literacy, Braille education, motor winding, washing machine repair and other technical training to their registered male and female members.

According to a rough estimate more than 100 blind members were now able to earn their livelihood after getting trained. However, there was a wide gap in the ratio of skill development and job opportunities, he said.

About social problems confronting the blind people, Mr. Qureshi said that many families had blind members but they did not allow them to go outside and get registered at welfare organizations.