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At the outset I would like to make a disclaimer: I do not profess to have any significant knowledge or indeed understanding of issues of disability and rights of disabled people. That of course does not preclude sensitivity to their situation, needs and rights as equal members of society. Neither does it denote any lack of interest in the subject. My training and research interests place me at the intersection of Islamic law, human rights and gender issues. The position and perspective I adopt in the present chapter are informed by my understanding of human rights as inherent and inalienable entitlements of every human being throughout the life cycle. It reflects upon my interaction with people with disability during my time as Provincial Minister for Health, Population Welfare and Women Development in the Government of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan and is presented in narrative form rather than what may be termed as a strictly ‘academic’ format.1
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