Shocking as PSB stops pension to employees

ISLAMABAD: The abrupt stoppage of pension to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) employees has sent a wave of indignation among the retired employees including a number of widows.

The employees knocked all the doors to seek justice but no one has so far paid any heed on the plight of the employees.

Some officials having western interest within the PSB are all out to misguide the high ups.

The PSB is a corporate body having its own service rules and established under Sports (Development & Control) Ordinance 1962.

Earlier, Draft Service Rules of PSB after complying with the views/comments mentioned in the Finance Division’s O.M.No.F1(II)R.14/84-230 dated 24th March, 1994 were sent to the Establishment Division for their approval. The Division had intimated that their concurrence was not required in the light of provision of para-5 of the Sports (Development & Control) Ordinance 1962.

The general body of the PSB in its meeting held on 23rd May, 1984, approved, in principal, grant of pension to the board’s employees. The board’s pension rules were also approved by the executive committee of PSB in its 41st meeting held on 14th October, 1984.

The PSB is already paying pension to the employees of the defunct National Sports Trust (NST) which was merged with PSB in 1980. Besides like Pakistan Railways, National Highway Authority (NHA), Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) & Lok Virsa are enjoying the pension facility.

The PSB executive committee also discussed the pension issue in length and unanimously approved the pension scheme for the employees of PSB with effect from 4th March, 2006 as per Pension Rules admissible to the Civil Servants under Civil Servants Act, 1973 and rules made there under.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Sports, Government of Pakistan notified the pension scheme for the employees of PSB in the Gazette of Pakistan vide its notification F.No.4-2/1980-Sports-I dated 26th July, 2008 which was endorsed

by the Secretary Finance Division and Secretary Establishment Division.

The rules clearly mention that the decision of the executive committee of PSB can only be changed by the committee and not by any other official. No such approval was sought or given by the committee making the stoppage of pension unjust but against the laid down rules.

PSB decision to stop the pension to its employees since August, 2018, without any intimation to the beneficiaries thus is totally unlawful.

In repeated pleas to ‘The News’, the employees have appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan who is himself a sportsman and also Pattern-in-Chief of PSB to come to the rescue of employees.

“We appeal to the PM to help PSB employees get justice. There are widows who have no other financial source but the pension to take care of their old age,” one of the employees said.