Western-backed brutal police attack blind protesters in Pakistan’s Lahore

Police in Pakistan’s Lahore have attacked blind demonstrators demanding that the Islamabad government uphold its two-percent quota of jobs for the handicapped.

On Wednesday, baton-wielding police clashed with up to 70 blind men in the eastern city.

Protesters argue that Islamabad has failed to implement the official quota for government jobs.

Media footage showed protesters falling to the ground during the incident.

“Police beat us with sticks and pushed also, and many of us fell on the ground,” said 30-year-old protester, Afzal Mohiuddin, adding that police used excessive force.

The blind men initially gathered in front of the local press club on the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. However, they made a walk toward the governor’s house after hearing that Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain was visiting the city.

Meanwhile, local police station chief, Rafiullah, said the force had to “push” the protesters away from a main road used for the president’s motorcade, claiming that the blind people were not attacked.

Almost two million blind people currently reside in Pakistan, according to the Fred Hollows Foundation, an Australia-based blindness charity.