Notification for restoration of surrendered portion of pension urged

Islamabad
Pervaiz Ahmad Butt, president of the Association for the Welfare of Retired Persons (AWRP), which is a recognised registered body of all pensioners of Pakistan, has called upon the finance minister and the Ministry of Finance to issue a notification to restore surrendered portion of pension on completion of commutation period, following the judgment of the apex court in March last year.
The court had declared as null and void the para 16 (e) of impugned Office Memorandum (OM), dated September 4, 2001, according to which the restoration of surrendered portion of pension after the end of the commutation period was withdrawn.
Dissatisfied with this order, a number of pensioners had filed case before the court. The Supreme Court of Pakistan endorsing the judgment of various courts passed the order for restoration of surrendered pension on completion of commutation period.
In compliance with the Supreme Court judgments, the Government of Punjab took the lead and implemented the decision. In their letter No-FD-SR-111/4-41/2008 dated 22 July 2014 (Annex - A), Para (16)(e) of their earlier letter date 22-10-2001 was omitted.
The Government of Punjab entitled the pensioners restoration of commuted portion of pension.
The AWRP president has called upon the Secretary Finance and Finance Division to implement the decision dated 31-03-2014 allowing restoration of surrendered portion of pension to the pensioners of the Federal Government, on completion of the commutation period.
Pervaiz Ahmad Butt in his earlier letter to the Finance Minister has requested him to raise the family pension from 75% to 100% as a social welfare measure to cope with ever rising inflation. He said this measure was imperative in the absence of social welfare organisation, which usually gives allowance from time to time in all the welfare state of the world.
He said medical allowance of 20% pension was given in 2009 which is laudable step. However, this allowance continues to freeze at this level. There has been a sharp increase in the prices of medicines, as a result the pensioners, who in their old age are suffering from some ailment and find it beyond their financial means to buy all medicines. “We will request you to allow an increase in this allowance, commensurate with the increase in prices medicines and link it with the current level of pension, the secretary finance said.