Pensioners to move court over non-payment for past 9 months

Rawalpindi

The Action Committee of Pensioners while levelling charges of corruption have decided to move the Supreme Court as well as the Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi Bench against the City District Government Rawalpindi and management of Tehsil Municipal Administration Rawal Town for failing to pay pension to over 3,500 retired employees for the last 9 months.

Talking to ‘The News’ here Wednesday, the president of the Pensioners Action Committee, Tahir Mahmood Khan, said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has taken suo motto action in pensioners case and summoned the concerned heads of the federal and provincial governments on November 14. Similarly, he told though Supreme Court has taken suo motto action, the pensioners committee headed by him has also decided to approach the LHC against the concerned local government departments of the Punjab government to achieve our rights and corruption by the concerned officials made in the funds of pensioners.

The committee president c alleged that massive corruption is witnessed in the funds of pensioners, as there is no money left in the account to pay the pensioners. The retired employees of the TMA and the city district government as well as other local government departments are not begging but demanding their money which was deducted from their salaries during services period. They questioned as where the amount/funds of pensioners have gone. The reality, they alleged was that the concerned officials have minted the pensioners funds.

Tahir Mahmood said that the case of misappropriation of pensioners funds would also be taken up with the NAB and FIA against the involved officials for seeking justice. In this regard, the action committee after approaching the LHC, NAB and FIA would reveal the corrupt activities of the concerned officials to the print and media persons in short future.

It merits to mentioning here that in September 2016, the District Accounts Officer, Tariq Mahmood, had assured that the Punjab government is releasing funds and the retired employees would be paid their dues within 15 days. However, two months have elapsed but the matter remains unresolved, perturbing the retired employees to a greater extent and the related authorities including the Punjab government, the city district government are still unmoved showing indifference to the sufferings of the pensioners.

On approaching for comments, a senior official serving in the account section of the city district government, Sultan Mahmood, admitted the allegations levelled by the Pensioners Action Committee about the non payment of pensions to the retired government servants for the last 9 months.

Briefing he said that in November, 2015, the matter of required funds worth Rs300 million for payment of pensions was brought into the notice of the Punjab government. The provincial government did not allocate any funds or grant for this purpose rather it has now directed us to forward the case through the local government departments so that funds could be approved and allocated.

Sultan Mahmood also admitted that the retired employees related with the city district government, TMA, Rawal Town and Potohar and other local government departments are suffering due to non-payment of pensions over the last 9 months. As soon as the funds are allocated, the issue of paying pensions to retired government servants would be resolved, he said. However, Sultan Mahmood did not agree that due to corruption and misappropriation of funds, retired employees are deprived of their rights of pensions. No misappropriation in pensioners’ funds has been made by any official, he cleared.