ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: National Highway and Motorway Police (NH&MP) on Tuesday announced to issue driving licenses to deaf persons.
This was stated by Superintendent Police and in-charge Drivers Licencing Authority (DLA) Inam Ilahi during a seminar of raod safety here. The chief guest of the seminar was Deputy Inspector General Grand Trunk Road (N-5) North Zone Ashraf Zubair Siddiqui.
Inam Ilahi said that deaf and dumb persons who are physically fit and have proper vision can get driving licenses as there was no restriction in the law of the land. He said like other candidates, they will have to undergo theory test, ground test and then road test.
He also announced that in case the deaf persons have licence from any of the 53 countries with whom the NH&MP has mutual arrangements, they will be issued licenses without any test.
DIG Motorway Ashraf Zubair Siddiqui in his address said that in welfare societies, special care is given to marginalized persons including children, women, elderly and physically impaired people. He said that Motorway Police has taken this initiative to resolve problems of the deaf and dumb persons who can drive but have no licenses.
He said though there was quota allocated for the disabled persons but there was need to take practical steps to ensure resolution of their problems.
He said out of over 200 countries only in 26 countries deaf people are not issued driving licenses. He said that in Pakistan there was no restriction in issuing licenses to deaf drivers and Motorway Police was the first institution to take this initiative.
He said that the NH&MP will teach its officers the sign language so that they can take tests of deaf and dumb people.
He said that the deaf people are more safe divers as their attention is not diverted with mobile phone calls and music while normal drivers sometimes lose their attention due to high music and telephone calls.
Later talking to media persons, DIG Siddiqui said that it was first seminar in the history of the NH&MP in which issues of deaf drivers are discussed. He said that there was no legal hurdle in issuance of licenses to deaf people but only there was no such tradition available in the country.
He said that the Motorway Police will issue special stickers to the deaf drivers so that other drivers should know about the deaf drivers on the roads.
Siddiqui said that motorway police officers will be trained in sign language so that they can interact with such drivers. Moreover he said that traffic information will also be given in sign languages for the benefit of such drivers.
Motorway Police has published a special  booklet containing road signs for the deaf people. He asked the deaf participants of the seminar to give their proposals for further improvements in the booklet.
Earlier deaf people while sharing their experiences said that special signs should be issued to the deaf drivers. They also said that sign language is international language but on our highways and motorways, no guidance is provided to deaf drivers. They said that in foreign countries, driving licenses are issued to deaf people but they were denied this right here on medical grounds.
Source: APP
