Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training marks historic Milestone for Deaf Rights in Pakistan

On Monday, December 29, 2025, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFE&PT) marked a historic milestone for the Deaf community with the concluding ceremony of the eight-day National Review Workshop on the Standardization of Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) held at National Institute of Special Education NISE, Islamabad. This landmark initiative, which resulted in the national consensus and standardization of 948 PSL signs, has been driven by the strategic roadmap and visionary leadership of Mr. Nadeem Mahbub, Secretary of MoFE&PT, who serves as the torchbearer of this national effort to ensure equitable learning opportunities and linguistic rights for all. The ceremony was graced by Additional Secretary Mr. Hassan Saqlain as the Honourable Chief Guest, who, in his address, commended the Directorate General of Special Education DGSE for its  technical facilitation and for serving as the vital hub for this intensive eight-day review process with strategic support of UNICEF. During the event, it was highlighted that since the Directorate General of Special Education (DGSE) was attached to the MoFE&PT in June 2024, student enrollment has surged almost to double alongside major infrastructure upgrades and revamping initiatives,Public Sector Development Programme PSDP project of  Rs 1,349M of establishment of Center of Excellence for Autism,  incorporation of Assistive technology in classrooms, tailored capacity building training programmes , Accessible sports and recreation, Horticulture Drive for special students, showcasing art and craft potential of Children with disabilities and bridging market worthy training trades for future employment.Under the fundamental principle of "About Us, Nothing Without Us," the standardization process was spearheaded by a dedicated National Task Force whose members were awarded certificates for their expertise, nominated by provinces, regions and federal capital. The awardees include 
 including Technical Coordinators Dr. Farah Rahman ,Senior Teacher, Islamabad and Sheikh Jawad Ahmad Raza Co-founder, EdDeaf, along with Mr. Muhammad Osama President, Association for the Welfare of the Adult Deaf, Karachi, Muhammad Shahid ,Associate Professor, GSEC, Hyderabad, Kaleem Ullah ,Deaf Representative, Chaman, Bismillah Khan PTI, Complex for Special Education, Quetta, Atif Saleem Deaf Representative, Nowshera, Asfand Ali Senior Teacher, Special Education Complex, Hayatabad, Tanzeela Shafique Senior Teacher, NSEC, Muzaffarabad, Muhammad Irfan Aziz Deaf Representative, Bahawalpur,Anjum Zaheer Hussain ,Senior Special Education Teacher, Gunj Shakar Complex, Okara, Haleema Sadia ,Sign Language Interpreter, NSEC for HIC, Islamabad, Zahida Sultana ,Deaf Representative, National Special Education Centre for Heating Impaired Children, Islamabad, Syed Muhammad Kumail Kazmi CEO, Islamabad Deaf Connect, and the Reknowned Irfan Mumtaz Chief Executive, Pakistan Association of the Deaf, Karachi. This collaborative achievement, supported by UNICEF and led at front by Director General Capt (Rtd) Asif Iqbal Asif of the DGSE, reaffirms the government's commitment to recognizing PSL as a standardized language to be promoted across education, media, and public services nationwide.
The Director General DGSE announced that March 2026 will witness the launch of national compendium of 1800 PSL signs standardized throughout Pakistan.