Disabled man braves life on his own

The government has not introduced any solid laws to protect the rights of people with disabilities and to facilitate them, due to which they continuously battle exclusion and restriction to their full participation in society in their daily lives, while facing resultant discrimination, abuse and poverty. Nisar Muhammad, 65, is also one of those poor disabled, who has been struggling hard to get government aid, but failed to do so due to the poor policies of the government.
Nisar has been experiencing bad fortune after loosing his hand in a tragic incident. While talking to Pakistan Today, he said about nine years ago, he was running bulldozer, but his right hand crushed in to a heavy machine as a result of his own minor fault.
“After the fateful incident,” Nisar said, “I was forced to remain idle and made number of appeals to the government authorities to provide him some financial assistance as I have to arrange enough money for marriages of may daughters.” The poor man is now waiting for government assistance for last many years, but the poor management and discriminatory attitude of the government’s charity organisation, Pakistan Bait Ul Mal (PBM), has so far failed to provide him any help.
Nisar, who has three daughters, is now confronted by a number of challenges, and has been continuously fighting against them with full courage. Nowadays, he has adopted the profession of porter and serving in H/9 Weekly Bazaar for the last six months. According to him, he visited the office of the PBM for many times, but always faced disappointment.
“Instead of begging or seeking charity, I consider this work as a good one to feed my family. During the days when I was running bulldozer, I could earn more than one thousand, but now can only earn three or four hundred rupees during three days of weekly bazaars despite making full efforts,” he noted the fact with a dejected face.
Expressing his disappointment, Nisar told this scribe that he had not asked government for aid when I was healthy. “I am really in need now, but they are ignoring me just because I am disabled and poor.” The poor old man is an ideal for others of his like as he works with full conviction. Many visitors of weekly bazaar also prefer to hire Nisar as an expression of sympathy.
“This old man shows that no one should bow before the troubles of life but continue to struggle against them,” said Junaid Kamal, a visitor of bazaar. “It was difficult for me in the beginning to drag the trolley with one hand, but now I have become capable to do this,” said Nisar. At a time when inflation is skyrocketing and unemployment increasing, the situation for the handicapped people in society has become more difficult. The government and a number of NGOs in the private sector claim that they are doing work for the disabled, but what they are doing can easily be imagine after witnessing the turmoil and predicament faced by the people, like Nisar.
People with disabilities are entitled to equal access to education and employment, equal rights to parenthood, property ownership, political rights, and legal representation. Presently, there is no internationally binding convention specifically devoted to the rights of people with disabilities. A treaty on the rights and dignity of people with disabilities would create legally binding human rights obligations specific to the needs and situation of people with disabilities.
A human rights perspective to disability requires society, and especially governments, to actively promote the conditions for all individuals to fully realize their rights. “Reasonable accommodation” (the necessary modifications without a disproportionate burden) must be made to ensure persons with disabilities the enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
However, many believes that there is a great need a country like Pakistan to introduce some laws for the protection of disabled and strict action must be taken against those who ignore their rights. If the government does so, it will be helpful for them to get their rights easily, same as if government authorities direct the high-ups of the state-run charity organisations to facilitate the disabled. And as a result, Nisar will also be able to get some aid to fulfill the requirements of his family.