NEW YORK – Pakistan’s first visually impaired diplomat Sadia Saleem, who was widely praised for effectively highlighting the plight of Kashmiris at the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last year, is all se to publish her first book on human rights.
Saleem revealed it while talking to a foreign publication on the occasion of World Braille Day, which is celebrated worldwide on Jan 4 every year.
Saima Saleem is Pakistan’s first visually impaired Civil Servant who obtained an LLM in international law with a specialization in international human rights law and international humanitarian law from the University of Geneva in 2019 and also got an MPhil in English Literature.
She has also received a number of awards including the Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal and the Quaid-E-Azam Gold Medal.
Saleem told Anadolu Agency that Braille is a tangible form of written language, which is used as a medium of communication by the visually impaired people, adding that the mode of communication played a key role in his life.
“Working for human rights is my passion, and my book is also written on the topic of gross and systematic human rights violations happening in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It is in the last phase of editing and I will try my best to get that published in Braille as well,” the publication quoted her as saying.
Eliminating access and attitudinal barriers can pave way for people with disabilities to play productive role in society, she said.
Recalling how she had raised voice for holding exams by using Braille, Saleem said: “I was the first one who demanded the examination board in 1999 to conduct my exam by using Braille and even in 2003, Punjab University on my request had conducted first exams by using Braille, and today, exams in Braille are conducted for blind students all over the country”.
Pakistan’s visually impaired diplomat raises Kashmir issue at UNGA
