29/03/2026
Today, Pace2Life Welfare Foundation, in collaboration with the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) and hosted by the Punjab Welfare Trust for the Disabled (PWTD), convened a Focus Group Discussion on “Policies & Practices: Social Inclusion of Students with Special Needs at Higher Education Institutions in Lahore.” The session opened with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Mr. Danish Luqman, followed by an opening address by Dr. Izhar Ul Haq Hashmi (Director, PWTD), the presentation of the meeting agenda by Mr. Abdul Qudoos, and expert moderation by Dr. Abdul Basit.
The discussion brought together key stakeholders from academia and civil society, including Mr. Waqas Ahmed (Chairman, Pace2Life Welfare Foundation), Dr. Faisal Anis (Assistant Professor, UMT), Dr. Shaukat Ali (Registrar, GCU Lahore), Ms. Tayyaba Azhar (In‑Charge Resource Canter for Special Students, Kinnaird College for Women University), and Mr. Danish Luqman Bhatti (Director, Ghazali Welfare Trust), alongside students with disabilities who shared powerful first‑hand accounts of inclusion and exclusion in campus life. Participants included Asim Ghafoor (physically challenged student, Electronics Department, GCU Lahore), Mr. Faisal and Mr. Ahsan (visually impaired students, Department of Special Education, University of Education Township Campus), and two students named Maryam from Kinnaird College for Women University one visually impaired (Urdu Department) and one physically challenged.
Their insights on governance, accessibility, digital inclusion, and lived experiences will directly inform CPDI’s upcoming Policy Dialogue on “Digital and Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities: Disability Legal Regime, Issues and Challenges” at Avari Hotel, Lahore, helping ensure that provincial‑level discussions are grounded in the realities of students and institutions in Lahore.
