International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebrated at Barura

Abdus Sattar Dulal, Executive Director, BPKS, with the UNO, Asaduzzaman Rony and AC Land Ahsan Habib of Barura at a discussion meeting on the International Day of Disables Persons on Thursday 5 Dec 2025.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities was celebrated at Barura, a subdistrict township in the district of Cumilla on Thursday with Abdus Sattar Dulal, president, Disabled People's International (DPI) advising the differently abled people to remain united to secure their rights and contribute to economic development.

Dulal who is also the Executive Director and CEO of the Bangladesh Pratibandhi Kalyan Somity (BPKS) said that the disabled people of Bangladesh have conquered the world. "If we would have loved and cared for the disabled persons the present inequalities would not have been there. If we remain united we can do better and empower ourselves," said the DPI president who now leads 130 million disabled people of the world.Abdus Sattar Dulal, Leading a rally at Barura Upazila town in Cumilla on Thursday 5 December to celebrate the International Dal of Disabled Persons. 

The programme held at the Barura Upazila Parishad auditorium was also addressed by Barura UNO Asaduzzaman Rony, AC Land, Ahsan Habib, Mostafa Kamal Majumder, editor, GreenWatch Dhaka, Tariqul Islam Bhuiyan, general secretary, 

Barura Pratibandhi Kalyan Somity, local supervisor of Islamic Foundation, Mohammad Sohel of Barura Thana Press Club and Swapan Majumder, leader of Banchar Thikana, an NGO among others.

The BPKS leader said there would no development without improvement of the quality of life of all sections of people. 

There are more than one crore disabled people in the Bangladesh, but govt organizations put the figure at 40 lakh. Don't hide the disabled children, help and empower them to stand on their own feet, he advised the people.

Noting the prevailing tension in the families of disabled persons Abdus Sattar Dulal said 6 crore people in Bangladesh will remain in unhappiness if the disabled persons are not happy. He advised the disables people to vote for those who work for and are sympathetic to them. Disability is not an obstacle, he said. 

The DPI president said, disabled people contribute to the national exchequer Taka 30,000 crore in the form of indirect tax. They deserve to have accessible buildings and amenities in all spheres of life. 

He said that the people saw the July 24 mass upsurge during which another 5000 people turned disabled by losing their limbs or sight, but a meaningful change has not come to the society. People want change for development to be inclusive and amenities accessible to all, not only disabled persons but also children and old people, women and patients who together comprise 50 percent of the people.

Asaduzzaman Rony, UNO, Barura said one in every six people is a disabled person. We believe in inclusive development. Disabled children should not be neglected. The Constitution guarantees equal rights of all and special privileges to backward sections of the people, he said.

Ahsan Habib, AC Land said if disabled petsond can contribute to income generating activities, the GDP of Bangladesh will increase and the country will develop more speedily.

Mostafa Kamal Majumder drew the attention of all to the hard work of the persons with disabilities to bring themselves to the mainstream of economic activities and drew the attention of the administration to the obstacles they face as buildings including those of schools, colleges and even some hospitals, all types of transports, roads, wash rooms remain inaccessible to them. He lauded the leadership qualities of Abdus Sattar Dulal that put him to leadership of disabled people of the world. Under his leadership new grounds will be broken in Bangladesh for empowerment of disabled persons, he added.

Earlier about 500 disabled persons who gathered at the Upazila Parishad auditorium premises brought out an enthuastic rally with Abdus Sattar on his wheel chair in the forefront and went round several streets. They chanted different slogans wishing success of the day. 

A video on the struggle of disabled people of Bangladesh and the work of BPKS to empower them to live with dignity as worthy citizens was played.

The programme was rounded off with cultural performances by persons with disabilities. – GreenWatch Dhaka News Desk