In 2008, Saima Saleem became Pakistan’s first visually impaired diplomat, and in 2018, Yousaf Saleem became Pakistan’s first visually impaired judge. The Federal Government reserves 2% quota for Persons with Disabilities (PWD), while Sindh Government reserves 5% quota under Sindh Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Act (SEPWD), 2018.

The Islamabad High Court, in Writ Petition No.1949 of 2021 titled Tahir Mehmood vs Election Commission of Pakistan, observed that the Council on the Rights of PWD in consultation with the Establishment Division should ensure that every public sector organization comes up with its own HR plan to give effect to provisions of the ICT Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2020, which plan is then published on the website of the respective organization for purposes of awareness and to inform PWD about job opportunities within such organizations.

In April, 2026, The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed the provincial authorities to complete within two months the requisite exercise for appointing PWD on the quota reserved for them. In February, 2026, Chief Minister of Sindh approved the establishment of an AI-based Job Portal and a Complaint Resolution System to link PWD to employment opportunities and institutional support across the province. Pakistan ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2011. The rights of PWD is not directly recognised under the Constitution, but they are protected, along with other vulnerable persons, under Articles 4, 9, 14, and 25. 

In Pakistan, PWD are protected under the Mental Health Ordinance, 2001 (repealing the Lunacy Act, 1912); the Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation) Ordinance, 1981; the........

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