By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday terming the welfare of persons with disabilities a ‘major challenge’ said all sections of society needed to work at their ends for the facilitation of special people. The President in his letter addressed to the media organizations called for the need of creating mass awareness about the rights of persons with disabilities.
Dr. Alvi mentioned that about 15 percent of people in the country suffered from various disabilities. He said the most common issues faced by the special people were lack of opportunities for education, employment and access to public places. He lauded the government for taking steps to make such individuals financially independent and give access to educational institutions and jobs. The President said the society could be sensitized about the rights and issues of special people, for which the role of media was important in this regard. He said media in the country played an exemplary role in creating awareness about breast cancer and coronavirus pandemic through effective campaigns. Dr Alvi hoped that the media would again show support for the promotion of the rights of special persons.
Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday telephoned the family members of the soldier Lans Naik Muhammad Iqbal, who was martyed in Awaran area of Balochistan. The President paid tribute to the martyred soldier and prayed to Almighty Allah to bless his soul with an elevated place in heavens. He also prayed for grant of patience to the family of martyred.
Moreover, the newly-appointed Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) Zahid Saeed took oath of his office here on Tuesday. President Dr Arif Alvi administered oath to the Chairman FPSC at an oath-taking ceremony held here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Zahid Saeed, retired grade-22 officer, has served on several senior positions including as federal secretary Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Secretary Petroleum, Punjab secretary Local Government and Community Development Department, Secretary Education Punjab and Chief Executive of Punjab Rural Support Programme.
The post of Chairman FPSC was lying vacant for the last week due to the death of former Chairman FPSC Maroof Afzal.
Earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi Tuesday said that Indian society was actually falling apart due to the extremist ideology propagated by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founders and frantically pursued by the Bharatiya Janata Party through its Hindutva policies.
In an exclusive interview with the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI), a renowned think tank and telecast by PTV, the president said what was happening in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) was a continuous momentum built up for long by whipping up anti-Muslims and anti-minorities policies including forced conversion of Christians by the RSS zealots inside India.
