In a statement Potohar Mental Health Association (PMHA), PML-N, PPP and PTI have vowed to empower persons with disabilities through legislation and remove discrepancies in the definitions of “disabled”.
It expressed the hope that after the elections, the parties would work jointly for the mainstreaming / welfare of the persons with disabilities.
The association said Pakistan was a signatory to UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and rectified the convention but there is no comprehensive law covering the persons living with disabilities in their entirety.
The existing law, which was passed in 1981, mostly deals with their welfare. Lack of political will is often cited as a key barrier to reaching out to the persons with disabilities.
The mainstream political parties have not extended such a commitment in their previous manifestoes regarding persons living with disabilities. Their recent commitment is therefore welcomed, PMHA added.
Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2018
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