Federal Minister for Women Development, Social Welfare and Special Education Barrister, Shahida Jamil congratulated Pakistan Disabled Organisation, an NGO, for completing 10 years despite difficult circumstances.
"In the 21st Century we have to change our concept about disability because these people have great mental powers," she told the national conference on disabled organised by the Pakistan Disabled Foundation in connection with December 3's International Day for the Disabled.
She said the interim government had limited powers and time but there were no restrictions on ideas and plans for the public welfare and she assured her full support for solution of their problems. She thanked President Pervez Musharraf for allowing her to attend this conference because she had a busy schedule due to the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Dr Abdullah.
Federal Social Welfare and Special Education Secretary Rasool Baksh Baloch assured his full support and said there was a lack of co-ordination between the government and non-government organisations and he would try his best to bridge this gap.
Pakistan Disables Foundation Chairman Shahid Memon said the disabled should have a quota in legislative assemblies and demanded that 2008 be declared as the year of the disabled and be given priorities in job opportunities. He said all provincial governments should announce incentives for the disabled since the city government in Karachi had taken initiatives.
Provincial Special Education Secretary Sohail Masood said that after the establishment of the department in 2003 the budget of the department increased from 2.1 million to 9.6 billion. The department had acquired 20 state lands for the construction of state-of-the-art institutions for the disabled at a cost of Rs 583 million.
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