ISLAMABAD, Jul 16 (APP):The Lord Sarfraz Foundation has organized a Certificate Distribution Ceremony for children with disabilities on achieving Level 1 of the Equine Therapy Program for making them a productive part of Pakistan’s Economy.

In a society like Pakistan’s, where disability is stigmatized, it is difficult for special needs children to take part in basic socio-economic activities, said a press release issued here Sunday.

The Lord Sarfraz Foundation believes in breaking barriers of social exclusion and creating an enabling environment. An environment that has reduced the barriers that hinder the participation of special needs children in society.

In this regard, a Certificate Distribution Ceremony was organized to acknowledge and appreciate these differently abled children and their abilities for achieving Level 1 of the Equine Therapy Program.

The Lord Sarfraz Foundation is able to offer Equine Therapy as part of its comprehensive balance of psychological, spiritual, and recreational treatment components at its Equine Therapy Center. It is an excellent case example of a mental health treatment facility that utilizes a sophisticated Equine Therapy Program as an integral part of treatment with children.

The Lord Sarfraz Foundation is a respected actor in the humanitarian and development field.

They have been consistent and effective in their response to the immediate and long-term needs of children with disabilities, people living in poverty and those affected by disasters. Ms Iram Haider, Program Manager at The Lord Sarfraz Foundation, kick-started the event by highlighting the importance of an inclusive society for children with special needs.

She appreciated the parents for trusting the Foundation and this nontraditional form of therapy and encouraged them to engage their children in physical activities as they have a key role in making these children useful citizens. She said that The Lord Sarfraz Foundation is committed to create awareness and foster inclusive culture for the special needs children in Pakistan.

Only the establishment of special schools is not enough – providing opportunities to these children in every sphere of life should also be our priority.

Dr. Shagufta Jabeen was the guest of honor and presented the certificates to all the star students who achieved the level 1 of the Equine Therapy Program. Dr. Shagufta is the Program advisor at the Zamzam Autism Centre.

She is also a Pediatrician and a Natural Play Therapy Coach. Her main area of interest is working with teenagers and adolescents. She hugely believes in parental empowerment and works towards helping them understand their children better. She is a strong advocate for an inclusive society and conducts regular training webinars for Autism acceptance and inclusion.

Most importantly, she is a proud mother of Haider Ali, one of our star riders at the equine therapy center.

She applauded the interventions made by The Lord Sarfraz Foundation for introducing Equine Therapy in Pakistan which has been the source of recreation and development for so many children with emotional, physical and cognitive disorders. In the end, Mr. Junaid Tariq, Project Officer/ Equine Therapy Instructor at The Lord Sarfraz Foundation was awarded with a shield in recognition of his services and showing commitment for the Equine Therapy program.

The ceremony was concluded with a note of thanks to all the participants and their parents along with the organizing team (Ashiq Hussain, Babar Imran, Javed Anwar & Umar Sajjad).

In future, The Lord Sarfraz Foundation will continue to work towards an inclusive society for the special needs children and making our beloved country, a place in which children and young people with a disability are equal and can participate in society to the best of their abilities.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 16 (APP):SAARC Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s former President Iftikhar Ali Malik on Sunday stressed the urgent need of unlocking the potential of regional economic cooperation and integration to boost trade among SAARC member countries, especially with Afghanistan at this critical juncture.

Talking to a delegation of traders led by Muslim Khan Buneri, he said inter-regional trade in South Asia is less than one-third of its potential which indicates 67 percent of trade is not being fully exploited, said. News release.

He said the role of Afghanistan as a connector and as a land bridge between Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia needs to be reviewed in the prevailing scenario to primarily focus on the promotion of trade and investment.

He said even today, Afghanistan is seen as a viable doorway to South Asian countries for direct access to oil and gas from the republics of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and others.

He said better trade ties will help promote economic growth and to do away with abject poverty in the region especially in Afghanistan thus enhancing its cross-border and transit trade with neighbouring countries.

He said poor trade facilitation at borders and the prevalence of a variety of non-tariff barriers are major hurdles in further enhancing mutual trade manifolds with Afghanistan.

Iftikhar Ali Malik said at the moment what we need is total up gradation and strengthening of existing facilitation, handling and clearance of transport and trade at the Pak-Afghan land borders besides consolidation of initiatives taken by the new regime of Taliban.

He said Pakistan after Iran and China is the third largest trading partner of Afghanistan which exports cement, pharmaceuticals products, sulphur, stone, plaster, peel of citrus fruit, melon, vegetable fats, edible fruits and oil etc.

He said Afghanistan’s main exports are carpets and rugs 45 percent of the total exports dried fruits constitute 31 per cent, and medicinal plants 12 per cent.

He said the main export partner is Pakistan 48 percent, India 19 percent and Russia 9 percent other including Iran, Iraq and Turkey.