By Aitzaz Ibrahim
A sit-in by blind persons being held at Charing Cross, has now entered its tenth day, in which the participants are demanding that one of the three percent government quota reserved for persons with disabilities (PWDs) be allocated specifically for visually impaired individuals, that daily-wage employees be regularized, and that immediate recruitments be made on vacant posts according to the quota. People who are blind, have managed to travel from various districts of Punjab to join their protesting comrades.
Among the protestors are those visually impaired teachers of the Punjab Special Education Department who have been working on a temporary basis for several years and are awaiting permanent appointments.
This is not the first sit-in or protest by blind persons; rather, they have been staging such protests and sit-ins for many years. Last year as well, these visually impaired individuals came to Lahore’s Charing Cross with the same demands, held a sit-in for several days, and ended their protest on assurances from the provincial government.
Zaran Khan, who has come from Sargodha to participate in the sit-in, says that they have been struggling since 2014, and they have been making only one demand — that permanent employment be provided to their people. He says they are kept on daily wages and dismissed from their jobs after two or three months of work.
“We have been struggling for eleven years to be given permanent employment. Every time, false promises are made to us. If the state does not support us, then who will?”
The protesters’ stance is that although the Punjab government sets a three percent job quota for persons with disabilities in government departments, it is not fully implemented in practice.
Chairman Blind Daily Wagers Abdul Shakoor, while speaking to Voice PK, said that more than three thousand posts under the disability quota in various departments have remained vacant for a long time, and no clear recruitment schedule has been announced for them. Due to the failure to fill these vacant posts on time, employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, especially those who are visually impaired, have become limited.
“We are demanding our right, not charity. We do not want the twelve-thousand-rupee lollipop; we want dignified employment.”
Activist Qurznain Asghar, who works for the rights of persons with disabilities, told Voice PK that it is necessary to implement the quota system and that jobs should be distributed equally across all categories of disabilities.
Participants in the sit-in also alleged that visually impaired teachers hired on daily wages in the Special Education Department are dismissed without reason after several months of work, which increases their financial difficulties. The participants claimed that numerous visually impaired teachers have been working on a temporary basis for the past five years, but no clear policy or timeline has been set for permanent appointments.
On the other hand, the Punjab government has announced a monthly stipend of twelve thousand rupees for five thousand registered blind persons in the province. The government also said that implementation of the disability quota in government posts will be ensured and steps will be taken regarding the recruitment process. However, the organizers and participants of the sit-in have refused to accept this announcement and have termed it insufficient.
The participants stated that they do not need financial assistance or a charity-like stipend, but permanent employment and a clear government policy. According to them, twelve thousand rupees is insufficient to meet their needs, and the real issue is permanency and the provision of employment, on which the government needs to take practical steps.
The participants say that until the government issues a formal notification regarding permanent recruitments, regularization of daily-wage teachers, and allocation of quota, the sit-in will continue.