BISP aims to facilitate women with disabilities, Shazia Marri
ISLAMABAD, May 23 (SABAH): Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Shazia Marri has stated that Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) aims to facilitate women with disabilities, while expressing her views during a training session for women living with disabilities.
The event was organized by the Potohar Mental Health Association on Training of Women Living with Disabilities against Discrimination, Violence, Stress and Exclusionary Practices, at a local hotel.
Federal Minister thanked the organizers for inviting her to the event and she felt honored to be part of such an initiative. She briefed the audience that the Benazir Income Support Program was a brainchild of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. She wanted to implement the program but gave her life before that while protecting our democratic rights. She stated that all the women who have gotten trainings from this program are the ones whom Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto wanted to see in the society. She briefed that special initiatives have been introduced for women with disabilities. The BISP aims to facilitate the maximum number of beneficiaries as there are programs which the women and provide stipends to counter stented growth, Marri added.
Shazia Marri, showed reservations regarding the previous government as 8.5 lac people were excluded from the program. She said that those beneficiaries would be included back into the program as previously they had been excluded without provision of any valid reason and without any mechanism for appeal. BISP is now offering facility to the general public to contact BISP themselves, and if they are eligible they shall be facilitated, she added.
The Federal Minister concluded her speech by offering the Potohar Mental Health Association all the help they require from her in strengthening and empowering women with disabilities.
Meanwhile Shazia Marri while delivering a speech at the conference arranged by the National Commission for Human Rights, has said that the word minority is not discriminatory, but in fact the mindset is discriminatory and he mindset needs to change as people need to realize that minority somewhere is a majority elsewhere.
The Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Shazia Marri, was invited by the National Commission for Human Rights on a conference on Unequal Citizens: Ending Systemic Discrimination against Minorities, held at a local hotel.
The Minister lauded the work being carried out by the commission regarding protection of Minority Rights. She stated that provision of rights to minorities is a priority of the government and specially the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). She informed the audience that 11th August was declared as Minority Day by the then President, Asif Ali Zardari. She briefed the audience that the constitution of Pakistan calls for equality of law for all, and no discrimination. The preamble of the constitution is to safeguard minority rights, she added.
She further stated that the National Action Plan calls for co-existence. It was the PPP which gave 5% quota to minorities in 2009. Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) is a universal program which works with a dynamic NSER survey for efficiently include the deserving minorities into the social protection program. Shazia Marri, concluded by stating that the government would diligently work to protect the minority rights and facilitate them to the fullest.
Other dignitaries attending the conference called against discrimination, derogatory remarks being faced by the minorities. They stated that the founder of Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared Pakistan a state where all religions will have equal rights, irrespective of their beliefs.