“I don’t want my children feel shame that I am not earning by myself. I feel the honor to be self-reliant.”
I met a man on a 3-wheeler standing at the roadside selling different eatables at night. The eatables are placed on a tray which is attached with a bulb so that people can see him at night. Realizing that he was physically disabled, I offered him to help purchasing a wooden cabin and some items for sale.
He is Aftab Ali Sangi, resident of Larkana’s Chandika Colony.
I explained him that it would be a voluntarily help without any interest because instead of begging, he showed his strength and courage to work for earning livelihood.
To my surprise, he refused to accept the offer and said that he is content earning his livelihood by doing hard work. “I don’t want my children to feel shame that I am not earning by myself and have got help from the people,” he said.
“I feel the honor to be self-reliant,” he said proudly.
His response made me to think that there are still some people who believe that disability is not a weakness. It is a challenge to stand steady and face the hardships of life and attitude of the society.
He was well aware what the government can do. “The government has to play it’s role to empower the differently-able people to contribute for the society,” he said and added complaining that the government has ignored to provide us our right to employment.
“There is a 2 percent quota of employment and provision in laws for rehabilitation of differently-abled persons but it is not implementing the same,” he said.
“Due to government’s failure in doing so, there are many disabled persons who are compelled to begging for their survival.” I felt pain in his voice.
“Begging is a curse,” I heard him saying, “That’s the point which refrained me do indulge in such practice.”
I have shared the story of this courageous person so that the authorities at Sindh government’s department for Differently-Abled persons and the federal government may take notice and extend help to such persons instead of raising hollow slogans and making tall promises which are never filled. I hereby urge the government to play its role and implement 2 percent job quota in true sense besides offering financial help so that they can establish their business at small scale. I am sharing his photo which I took with his permission.
Mujeeb Ali Samo
Larkana Sindh
