President directs info ministry to pay retirement benefits to employees

Islamabad:President Dr Arif Alvi has directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB) to pay pension benefits to 38 employees of Radio Pakistan within three months as their families were facing hardships due to delayed payments, says a press release.

He noted with grave concern that a revenue-generating institution, such as Pakistan Broadcasting Corp­ora­tion (PBC), was facing an acute shortage of financial resources, adding that the matter of providing funds to PBC should be taken up at the highest level. He directed the Secretary MOIB to seek approval of the competent authority to obtain funds for payment of pension/gratu­ity/commutation etc. within three months and report compliance to Wafaqi Mohtasib.

The president gave these remarks while disposing of a representation filed by PBC against a decision of the Wafaqi Mohtasib directing it to make the payment to the aggrieved employees as the act of non-payment of benefits to employees under the garb of financial constraints amounted to maladministration. The Mohtasib had regretted that the superannuated employees were roaming to get their genuine and legal rights, in such old ages, where every penny was a basic necessity of that retired employee.

As per details, Syed Pervaiz Hussain Shah and 37 others (the complainants) had filed a complaint before the Wafaqi Mohtasib stating that they had retired from service of PBC on different dates and necessary Pension Payment Orders (PPOs) were issued but no payment had been made so far. Feeling aggrieved, they approached the Wafaqi Mohtasib (WM), who passed the order in their favour. PBC, then, chose to file a representation before the President against Mohtasib’s order.

The President disposed of the representation by observing that it was established law that a government servant, who retired from Government service, qualifying for retirement benefits, pension being a material part of it, did not get it as a bounty of the State but as a right acquired after putting in satisfactory service. He said that it was a matter of grave concern that PBC’s retired employees and their families were striving hard without having pensioner benefits, to which they were entitled. He noted that PBC had also admitted the entitlement and liability of pension/commutation/gratuity etc. payable to its employees.

The president, therefore, disposed of the representation with the direction to Secretary MOIB to seek approval of competent authority to obtain funds for payment of benefits to employees within three months.