Lahore: Lahore Businessmen Association for Rehabilitation of Disabled LABARD, in its Governing Body Meeting, has pledged to accelerate the efforts for the rehabilitation of disabled people through a strategy wherein all segments of the society would be involved.
The LABARD President MNA Pervez Malik presided over the meeting while LABARD Senior Vice President Mian Nusratud Din, Joint Secretary Saeed Khan, Information Secretary Ahmer Malik, Naghmana Javed, other Governing Body members and LCCI Senior Vice President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh were present on the occasion.
Muhammad Pervez Malik said that in the developed world, the disabled persons enjoy a special status, they are provided with every possible facility so that they could use their abilities for the wellbeing of the country but in Pakistan situation is not that encouraging.
He said that disabled persons have no access to the government jobs despite have a special quota. He said that it is prime duty of every individual to take care of these unprivileged people. He said that according to the national census, disabled people constitute 2.49 percent of the total population of the country but according to a United Nations census, they are 10 percent of the total population.
Pervez Malik said that federal government was hiding the actual count of disabled people as they would have to allocate a comparatively large amount of funds for the disable if they reveal their actual number. He demanded of the government that jobs should be provided to the disabled persons as per quota prescribed for them. He said that according to law 2% government and 1% private jobs are reserved for disabled persons but it is a matter of
concern that law is not being implemented as it should be.
LABARD Senior Vice President Mian Nusratud Din and Joint Secretary Muhammad Saeed Khan said that it is social responsibility of every single individual to play his role for rehabilitation of disabled persons. He said that all the businessmen should at least accommodate one disabled persons in his factory or office to curtail the miseries of the ailing humanity.