This article covers the following:

• How to get a disability certificate
• Benefits of a disability certificate
• Departments in various provinces that deal with disability certificate & benefits
• Bait-ul-Mal and what it offers to PWDs
• Details on getting free wheelchairs, duty-free vehicles, annual stipend
• Responses to questions raised by readers

Faiza Khan was in her thirties when she went for pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Despite being paralysed from the waist down, she found that the experience was a breeze because the holy city of Makkah was wheel-chair friendly.

It was there that she met other people facing the same circumstances who told her about the ‘disability certificate’. This document ensures for the bearer a string of facilities, including discounts on air travel. Faiza’s family saw the advantage in it and applied for one for her elder brother who also has partial paralysis along with a neurological condition.

Faiza’s aunt, who took the siblings for registration, said, however, that she was only able get the certificate after a relative in the health department helped. “He was able to get the process sorted,” according to Faiza. “Otherwise, you know how these things work.”

At that time, the Provincial Council for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons under the Social Welfare Department was authority that issued certificates in the province (Sindh). It has since changed following the passage of the Sindh Empowerment of ‘Persons with Disabilities’ Act in 2018. Subsequently, the Sindh Persons With Disabilities Protection Authority was set up in 2020.

Since June last year, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities started issuing disability certificates. So far in 2022, it has issued 11,270, the department’s director general, Ghulam Nabi Nizamani, told Aaj Digital.

How to get a disability certificate

A relative of the special needs person must accompany them to the nearest office of the provincial department dealing with people with disabilities (PWD).

In Sindh, the Department for Empowerment of People with Disabilities (DEPD) is the department concerned. It is located in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and has offices in every district. The details of focal persons for each district is available here. The form can also be downloaded from their website.

Applicants must have five copies of these documents:

1. CNIC
2. Photo
3. B-Form / Birth Certificate if under 18 with father’s CNIC
4. Education certificates
5. Proof of age
6. Medical history (related documents)

In Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Social Welfare Department issues certificates to PWDs. In Islamabad, it falls under the ambit of the Ministry of Health, along with the Ministry of Human Rights and the Council for the Rehabilitation for People With Disabilities.

After the review of the application, the person is provided details of the government hospital where medical boards meet weekly to assess cases.

Nizamani said that they have one such hospital in every district of Sindh, and Karachi has 10 (except in Keamari).

The names, designation and contact details of members of these medical boards are posted to the DEPD website here. Aaj News randomly called one of the doctors on the list, Dr Rubina Naz, and she not only took the call but also provided information. She told Aaj News that other than members of the medical board, the hospital’s medico-legal superintendent and the health secretary can also approve people for a disability certificate.

In most cases, the medical board makes the decision unless it lacks expertise on that particular disability. “If someone has a neurological condition and the medical panel doesn’t have the relevant expert, we refer them to one for assessment and then base our decision on their recommendations,” she said.

Nizamani said that the panel determines the extent of the disability. If you are under 40% disabled, you are not necessarily going to be eligible for the certificate. He said this criteria was in line with international guidelines provided by the WHO.

He said that greater care has to be taken in cases of neurological conditions, considering that some people could use an insanity plea in murder cases to exploit the disability certificate.

Once the medical board gives its stamp of approval, the certificate is dispatched the same day and is generally received by the applicant within 24 to 48 hours. They can then take it to the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) to acquire the special computerised national identity card with a disability sign.

“Initially, Nadra would ask people for verification, which would result in delays and back and forth,” Nizamani said. “Now, we have added a QR code to the certificate that allows immediate verification.”

One-window solution

One of the challenges for PWDs is mobility and access. A majority of PWDs applying for the SCNIC are from low-income backgrounds and have limited resources. Multiple visits to the DEPD/SWD can be difficult. It is not just the environment that limits access for PWDs, and there are attitudinal issues as well. Those who work with PWDs say that people have a tendency to consider them lesser beings. There is limited empathy towards their situation.

NOWPDP has found a novel solution to this situation with its one-window camp where PWDs can go through the entire process the same day.

At one such camp earlier this year, it issued 135 certificates and 65 Special CNICs in 48 hours.

NOWPDP says that it was possible because of the DPED streamlining efforts in Sindh and singled out Nadra for facilitating the process each time.

Benefits & facilities

If you have a disability card you can take advantage of the following:

1. 50% concession on air and rail fare
2. Insurance cover for persons with disabilities without guardians or a source of income
3. Micro-credit finance for handicapped persons of any trade
4. Duty-free import for vehicles for handicapped persons
5. Immediate amendments in building control regulations to ensure easy/special access
6. Provision for wheelchair access on streets for the handicapped
7. Provision of a special parking space for vehicles in use of handicapped people in all future buildings
8. Free medical treatment for himself/herself, children and parents at all government hospitals

Those with the disability card are also eligible for the two to five percent % quota in government jobs and academic institutions set aside for them. “Recruitment has been done on most of the 1,572 jobs for people with special needs following a Sindh court order,” he added.

Nizamani pointed out that since the 18th Amendment, powers have been devolved so each province can now work on facilities as they deem fit.

Travel & transport

The state carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, offers 40% a discount on airfare to those with the disability card, while private airlines provide 50%. The discount is on local and international travel. To get the discount, the individual must go personally to the airline’s office and show their card. The discount cannot be availed through online booking or a travel agent/agency. The discount is on the fare, which is around 70% of the total cost of the ticket with the rest being taxes.

The airlines also offer a 25% discount to one guardian/attendant accompanying the PWD. PIA requires a doctor’s note for the guardian to be eligible for the discount. AirSial said it had no such requirement.

Here is a snapshot of some of the services verified by NOWPDP, a not-for-profit that works with PWDs.

For travel by train, the discount can only be availed for economy class seats on trains owned by the government. The facility isn’t available on privately-owned train servies or the Green Line Express Train. These discounts apply across Pakistan.

Unlike for air tickets, the railways has set up a system where one-time registration allows PWDs to book the tickets online. They have to fill the form available here and submit it to the divisional commercial officer of their area. Otherwise, PWDs can avail the 50% discount by going to the ticket counter and showing their SCNIC.

For intracity travel on public transport, provinces have their own laws in place.

In Sindh, the recently launched Peoples Bus Service and the Green Line BRT service does not offer any discounts to those possessing the disability card.

It is the same for intercity transport where different bus services offer discounts. For example, the Punjab government approached the Daewoo Bus Service, which now provides a 50% discount on travel within Punjab. It does not offer the same service in other provinces. A spokesperson for Daewoo told Aaj News that the service was provided as a gesture to the Punjab government, with nothing formalized. “We bear a monthly loss in revenue of Rs2 million because of this service.”

Other incentives

The State Bank of Pakistan announced in 2019 that it was offering the ‘Small Enterprise Financing and Credit Guarantee Facility’ for people with special needs at concessionary rates of 5%. It requires banks and developmental financial institutions to provide financing, with the SBP to refinance it completely.

“Special persons can avail financing up to Rs1.5 million for a maximum period of 5 years, including a grace period of six months,” says the announcement. The service is advertised on the websites of commercial banks.

Importing duty-free vehicles for PWDs

One of our readers asked about the procedure for import of duty-free vehicles. Here is the process for Sindh:

• Submit an application regarding the smae at one of the nominated government hospitals dealing with PWD.
• A special board with relevant representatives pertaining to Import/Export, Customs department as well as the DPED representative. (In other provinces, it is the SWD represtntative.)
• Review of PWDs case (whether the PWD can manage a vehicle with the disability)
• Financial assessment, details of import agent and country from which vehicle is to be exported

Nizamani, the head of DPED, says that his department discourages the practice as the process is exhaustive and, because of the costs involved, utilized by only a handful of PWDs.

Instead, the DPED wants the development of a system where vehicles - including motorcycles - can be retrofitted in Pakistan. Nizamani said his department has written ot the Sindh government and others for relief on the import of gadgets used to repurpose vehicle for use by PWDs.

An amendment to the Sindh Motor Vehicle Act in 2019 allowed people with hearing impairment to acquire a driving license. Sindh is the only province where this is possible. Those who have a visual impairment or an intellectual disability are not eligible for a driving license.

Bait-ul-Mal and what it does

The Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal offers several services to those with disabilities including an annual stipend.

They also have a programme to provide customized wheelchairs free of cost to those who meet their criteria. You can download the form here.

It also provides an annual stipend of Rs30,000 for a PWD, and Rs60,000 if the household has two PWDs. It does not say what happens if the household has more than two PWDs.

Aaj News called the Bait-ul-Mal office on several occassions, including its toll free number 0800-66666, on multiple occasions but was unable to speak to anyone. We heard back from their media person after leaving a message at the chairman’s office - the only place where an assistant responded.

We asked the spokesperson, Hasnain Shah, about the number of wheelchair requests received by the Bait-ul-Mal this year and the number of requests that were approved. They said they will get back to us about the data. Despite following up on multiple occasions, the Bait-ul-Mal has failed to provide the data, instead sharing numbers of ‘individuals concerned’.

We also asked them about the number of people receiving the annual stipend. The spokesperson said that he would share the data within 24 hours. They have failed to do despite the passage of several days.

Shah also told us that the Bait-ul-mal had changed the amount of the stipend due to budgetary constraints, with disbursments based on the needs of each PWD.

Shah said that an inquiry committee and the Research and Development department at Bait-ul-Mal made the determination of how much a PWD should receive after reviewing their case. We have asked them about the people on the inquiry team, the criteria they follow and whether the team members are rotated. We hope to hear back from them on December 16.

It warrants mention here that a PWD who has been approved for the annual stipend has to apply anew it every year.

Readers’ queries

Some other questions that our readers raised for which we were able to get answers are shared below:

• Polio cases depend upon the extent of the disability. If a person walks with a limp, they might not be considered eligible for the disability certificate. If the person is wheelchair-bound, they would be eligible.
• Is Myasthenia Gravis considered a disability: Currently, only those with disabilities listed on the certificate are eligible for the certificate. For the addition of any new condition, the department has to get it notified.
• Disability symbol on the card: Some people said that they needed a different symbol on the card as it focuses on the wheelchair bound. Nizamani and others we spoke to said that the handicap sign had become the universal symbol for PWDs, visible outside washrooms and parking spaces as well. Until there is an alternate that people is easily identifiable and universally accepted, the handicap / wheelchair symbol will be used.

Laws and population estimates

Pakistan has drastically improved laws for people with special needs since 1981. General Ziaul Haq, whose own daughter had disabilities, put in place the Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation) Ordinance of 1981. It was amended in 2015, and then, in 2020, a broader Disabilities Rights Act was passed. The provinces have now also formulated their own laws for PWDs.

The estimates of people with disabilities in Pakistan vary drastically. The UNDP put it at nearly 6.2% of the population. The sixth Population Census in 2017 arrived at a much lower 0.48 percent of the population—far less than the 1998 census, incidentally. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics used Nadra data to put it at 371,833 individuals. The Human Rights Watch has pointed out how estimates of PWDs in Pakistan vary widely, ranging from 3.3 million to 27 million.

At Sindh’s biggest state varsity, the University of Karachi, around 150 students with special needs are part of the student body of around 46,000 students. This doesn’t even amount to the 2% of seats set aside for PWDs.

But the unveristy has made some changes over the last few years, including adding ramps to any new construction. Most old buildings and structures remain wheelchair-unfriendly.

Students can now use the JAWS software, which is a computer screen reader that allows visually impaired students sit exams without an assistant. Previously, blind students had to hire an assistant on their own to read them the questions and write their answers down.

If you have any questions about this article please leave them below and we will try to acquire any further information that helps