SC says jobs quota for persons with disabilities is their right.

ISLAMABAD -- The Supreme Court has ruled that employment for persons with disabilities (PWDs) was not a charity but their right, stressing that work and contribution to society was central to human society and it was even greater for the PWDs given the stigmatisation typically associated with them.

In a ruling, authored by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, the Court ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to comply with the quota in job allocated for the PWDs and submit a compliance report with the additional registrar (Judicial) within a month.

'NAB is directed to immediately comply with the provisions of the Ordinance and earmark posts representing 3% quota for PWDs across the institution at all tiers and submit a compliance report with the Additional Registrar (Judicial) of the this Court within a month,' said the six-page judgment.

'In case the said report is not filed, the officer shall fix this case before the Court for appropriate orders against the Chairman NAB', the judgment, authored by Justice Shah, added, while setting aside an Islamabad High Court's (IHC) order.

The apex court also directed NAB to appoint the petitioner as assistant director in an appropriate wing and fit for an office job, in accordance with the offer letter with effect from July 16, 2015. The ruling noted that the court had been informed that NAB had 741 sanctioned posts for assistant director.

The judgment noted that there was a 3% quota in the jobs for the PWDs. It said that it was important for the public and private sector institutions, including NAB, to understand that within Pakistan, the population of PWDs varied between 3.3 million to 27 million.

Justice Shah said that 'it remains pivotal to consider the importance of PWDs towards human capital development', particularly towards employment, underscoring that with their inclusion and accessibility towards employment, there would be improvements at the societal level and for the families of PWDs.

'Employment is important to all persons, without which inclusion in society and economic...