KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has put the secretary of the social welfare department on notice with direction to furnish concrete proposals regarding any package for the expenses and well-being of differently-abled persons and destitute women.

A single bench of the SHC headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar also asked the secretary to depute any responsible person to make necessary treatment available for the wheelchair-bound and aging applicant Syed Ghulam Murtaza Shah, his mentally ill son and daughter.

These directions were issued on first rent appeal (FRA) filed by Mr Shah against the landlord regar­ding his eviction.

The bench observed that the applicant was an aged person and on wheelchair, hence he came within the term of “differently-abled person”, adding that according to him, his son was mentally ill and daughter was unmarried and she also fell in the category of destitute woman.

The bench observed that it was the ultimate responsibility of the state to take care of those people falling within the ambit of “differently-abled person and destitute woman”, adding that zakat or ushr was not the only institution to help the deserving; different enactments were there the object whereof was nothing but to inquire/search persons, qualifying for assistance and to provide them necessary help.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2018