Senior citizens demand action to turn legal rights into accessible services
PESHAWAR: Senior citizens in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have called for effective implementation of their legal rights and improved access to healthcare, financial support, identity documentation and other essential public services.
The demand was made during Rights Orientation and Issues Identification Sessions organized by Blue Veins to mark the International Day of Older Persons, observed worldwide on October 1. The United Nations General Assembly designated the day in 1990 to highlight the rights, dignity, contributions and changing needs of older people.
The sessions were organized around the 2026 theme, “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,” and brought senior citizens together with elected representatives and public officials to identify barriers in accessing essential services and discuss possible institutional responses.
Speaking on the occasion, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly member Aiman Jalil pledged to raise the concerns of senior citizens on the assembly floor and at other relevant forums. She urged older people to know their rights, raise their voices and seek the support available to them.
District Social Welfare Officers Shoaib Khan of Peshawar and Abdul Qadir of Charsadda reaffirmed the department’s commitment to supporting older persons under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Citizens Act. They highlighted welfare services, facilitation desks at banks and hospitals, concessions on medicines and laboratory tests, and mobile registration vehicles to assist senior citizens in obtaining identity cards.
Rizwan Ullah Khan, Provincial Coordinator of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), said senior citizens deserved respect, protection of their rights and meaningful participation in decisions affecting their lives. He stressed that their wellbeing and social dignity should remain central to institutional responses.
Representatives of the Right to Public Services (RTS) Commission briefed participants about available public services and mechanisms for addressing delays in notified services.
Qamar Naseem, Program Manager at Blue Veins, said older persons have the right to dignity, healthcare, financial security, access to information and participation in public life. He also highlighted the additional challenges faced by older women, including restricted mobility, limited control over property and resources and social isolation.
Members of senior citizen forums established by Blue Veins in Peshawar and Charsadda appreciated the initiative, saying the forums provide older people with a platform to raise concerns, document issues and follow up on commitments made by public institutions.
Participants called for gender-responsive services and effective implementation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Citizens Act 2014 to ensure older people can live healthy and dignified lives.
