The Supreme Court of Pakistan has taken notice over numerous complaints filed by retired employees of the federal government, stating that they had not been provided with their pensions and general provident (GP) funds.
The apex court directed the accountant general sub-office to furnish a list of retired employees who had not been paid their pensions and GP funds.
The direction came on application submitted by Shahabuddin Usto against non-payment of pensions and other benefits by the accountant general at the Karachi sub-office.
An official at the accountant general sub-office, Fauzia Saleem Khan, appeared before SC judge Justice Amir Hani Muslim and tendered unconditional apology for non-appearance before the court.
To a court query about comments filed on her behalf, she submitted that she did not go through the pension file of the applicant and that the pension benefits and GP funds of applicants ought to have been released immediately.
She said that objections raised in the applicant case were prepared by the legal wing of her office on the basis of previous pension record, without going through the relevant provisions of the rules under which the office of the accountant general and its sub-offices were regulated.
She undertook that cheques of the pension emoluments and arrears of pension of GP funds shall be prepared and delivered by her representatives on October 4 to the office in-charge of the SC’s Karachi registry as the applicant could not travel to Islamabad due to ailment.
The court directed the relevant official to ensure that the proposed cheques of the pension and GP Funds of the applicant were delivered to the SC’s Karachi registry office in-charge, who shall hand over the cheques to the applicant.
The court also noticed that numerous complaints of retired federal employees had been received in the human rights cell of the SC against non-payment of pensions and GP funds.
The accountant general sub-office was directed to furnish a list of the employees either civil servants, government servants or the servants of the statutory organizations, working under the administrative control of the federal government who had retired but not been given pension and GP funds.
The court directed that the proposed list shall be filed in the office of the SC Karachi’s registry within three weeks.
Disposing of the human right application, the court also directed the federal board of revenue to ensure that all arrears of salary and other benefits to which applicant was entitled prior to his retirement shall be calculated and deposited with the office in-charge within one week which shall be handed over to the applicant after proper verification. The court also discharged show-cause notice to the accountant general sub-office after accepting the unconditional apology.