Ch Pervaiz Elahi condemns police torture on blinds

Lahore: Pakistan Muslim League -Q senior central leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi has said that those getting blinds lathi-charged in the provincial capital were themselves blind of wisdom.

Condemning this in the most strong words, he said in a statement here this evening that resorting to police violence and torture on those going to the Chief Minister’s office to demand their right on the International Day was another act of barbarism of the Punjab Govt while during our tenure historical facilities were provided to handicapped persons, was this their democracy who did not even tolerated their peaceful protest?, blood of those becoming victim of “democratic attitude” in Model Town Lahore of those clamouring democracy day and night had not dried yet that ruthless use of govt force was used against the blind persons whose only crime was that they were demand implementation of special quota in jobs for themselves.

Ch Pervaiz Elahi  pointedly stated that during our tenure a blind woman was appointed as the operator in the Chief Minister’s House, our govt had not only fixed five per cent quota for handicapped persons in govt jobs and two per cent quota in educational institutions in Punjab but also provided a number of revolutionary facilities including free education, transport and stipends for the first time. He said further that during our tenure talking computer laboratories, low vision centre and audio clinic were established for the blind, deaf and dumb persons, special patronage and facilities were provided to the blinds cricket team which had become the world champion whereas technical and financial assistance was also provided to the special educational institutions established in the private sector, institutions of international standard were established for education and training of the special children, 119 special education schools and centres were established down to the tehsil level, degree colleges were established in Lahore and Bahawalpur, teaching and non-teaching staff in these institutions were not only provided special training but also their salaries and incentives were doubled than those of formal educational institutions, special students were given free brail books, hearing aides, wheel chairs and Rs 200 monthly stipend, construction of ramp in the govt buildings for coming going of the handicapped persons was also made compulsory.

Ch Pervaiz Elahi said that slogans of “go Nawaz, go Shahbaz” had deprived the rulers of power to think and ponder, what threat was created for the govt or democracy by raising the voice by the blind persons in support of their demands that they were subjected such brutality ruthlessly and injured, if Shahbaz Sharif could not provide employment and genuine rights to the protestors then he also had no right to make them victim of police torture.