Islamabad: Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) has called the attention of policymakers for protection of the rights of disabled people on the occasion of the "International Day of Disabled Persons", which is observed all over the world on 3rd December every year. CRCP said that the existing legislative framework and related national policies were not adequately meeting the needs of the disabled persons in Pakistan.

While highlighting the rights of disabled persons, CRCP said that disabled persons should have easy accessibility to public places and transport, tax concessions, employment quotas and special concessions for enhanced access to social services. He emphasized that the disabled persons should also be given the right to representation in policies, which directly or indirectly affect them. This was important given the fact that such persons represent almost 10 percent of total population of Pakistan. CRCP stressed that the overall situation of rights of disabled persons was not satisfactory in Pakistan. Since the 1980s when the government began to attend the issues related with disabilities, no serious effort has been taken to protect the rights of disabled segment of the society. It was back in 1982 only when the Directorate General Special Education was setup at the federal level, which followed establishment of 45 special education and rehabilitation centers. The government also fixed job quotas and some other concession.

CRCP said that the special people had little to get from the government because even the existing facilities were being misused, fresh measures being aside. He referred to the Baitul Maal case, which took over the hostel of National Special Education Center for Mentally Retarded Children, Islamabad in May 2001. CRCP intervened and expressed strong reservations on inaction of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, which failed to resist such attempts by making flimsy excuses of under-utilization of the available infrastructure. "This is only one example of the inattention of the government to rights of the special people" CRCP said. The only remarkable step taken after the 1980s is the formulation National Policy for Persons with Disabilities 2002, but this is only a partial achievement because the effectiveness of this policy can be determined only after its implementation, CRCP said.

CRCP has sought attention of the policymakers to give due consideration to the rights of disabled persons. He stressed that the policymakers should prioritize the persons with disabilities high on their agenda for diminishing their sense of alienation from society and enhancing their access to public services. He emphasized that extraordinary measures should be taken to properly utilize the existing facilities in place for special people along with expansion of such facilities. It emphasized that the government should expedite the implementation of National Policy for Persons with Disabilities 2002 with commitment to bring the disabled class in the mainstream life.