Two incomes

Pensions are an unfunded liability of the government that keeps on increasing at a sharp rate. The scheme of post-retirement pensions is founded on the premise that upon retirement, government employees would have no alternate source of earning to meet their living expenses. But, it is a colonial legacy when pensions were justified due to meagre salaries and limited opportunities for alternate sources of income in a public-sector dominated economy. However, nowadays, many such retirees get reemployed in government or private sector organizations directly or indirectly on a contractual basis.

Their post-retirement earnings often far exceed their government salaries. Under such circumstances, any pensions are hardly justified and put an undue burden on government finances. Retirees ought to prove that they have no alternative sources of income before they draw a government pension. And if they are already required to do so, the government needs to do better at verifying their claims.

Tipoo Sultan

Rawalpindi