Abolition of PLWD job quota inexcusable

Press release

Abolition of PLWD job quota inexcusable

Lahore, 1 June. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is appalled to learn of the government’s decision to abolish the two percent public and private company employment quota for persons living with disabilities (PLWDs), by deleting Section 459 of the Companies Act 2017 through a presidential ordinance in May.

It is deeply ironic that such a decision was made barely four months after the National Assembly passed the ICT Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2020 – a bill in which the Minister for Human Rights took a special interest. It is more ironic still that this decision has been made even as the federal government claims to protect people’s right to work in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. That PLWDs, already marginalised, should be stripped of this protection so lightly is inexcusable.

HRCP would like to remind the government that Pakistan is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is therefore bound to comply with all its provisions on work and employment for PLWDs. The Commission strongly urges the government to reverse its decision on the job quota immediately and focus on providing fairer, better labour protection to PLWDs.

On behalf of Dr Mehdi Hasan
Chairperson

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