Visually-impaired persons stage rallies in KP to demand jobs

PESHAWAR: The visually-impaired persons on Thursday staged protest rallies in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand jobs and other facilities.

In the provincial capital, the visually-impaired persons from various parts staged a demonstration outside the Peshawar Press Club to press the government for the acceptance of their demands. Led by Zeeshan, the protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.

They urged the provincial government to take practical steps on an emergency basis to provide them relief.

The speakers demanded jobs on the basis of their education and qualification and monthly stipends for all the unemployed skilled persons. They asked the government to approve the bill for the disabled persons, which was pending in the provincial assembly. They said the government should construct schools for blind and upgrade the already existing schools according to their strength in different districts.

In Mardan, led by Yasar Saleem, Riazullah, Essa Khan, Zeeshan Khan and Samiullah members of the Action Committee of the Blind, the protesters gathered outside the Mardan Press Club

They were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands. The protesters chanted slogans and demanded justice. Addressing the protest rally, the speakers said that in 2018, the blind persons staged sit-in outside the provincial assembly for four days and later met former the then chief minister Pervez Khattak. But they said the former chief minister did not fulfill his promise.

Speakers on the occasion said that the disability act had been pending for the last seven years. They demanded the government to provide jobs to the blind persons, according to their education.

They said the government should immediately fill the vacancies in the social welfare department. The government should also establish special education schools in all districts of the province and also upgrade the special education schools running in some districts, they demanded.

The said the government should bring reforms in special education schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and establish special schools for blind women on district and divisional levels. They added that there is only one school for blind people in the province.

Rallies were also staged in Charsadda and other districts of the province.