Pensioners protest delay in pension hike

PESHAWAR: The former employees of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited on Wednesday held a demonstration against the delay in increase in their pension and threatened to stage sit-in outside the parliament.

Speaking at a protest rally, Ikramullah Khan, Convener All Pakistan PTCL Pensioners Action Committee, Haji Jahanzeb and Sadiq Ali said that increase in the pension had been pending since 2010.

They said that Supreme Court had also given verdict in their support on 12 June 2015 but it was yet to be implemented.

They said that the PTCL administration was avoiding to pay pension as per government decision, saying that since July, 2010 pension had been increased by 41.50 percent, medical allowance by 50 percent and family pension from 50 to 75 percent but the workers were denied their rights.

Of the 40000 pensioners, they said, about 15000 were widows but they also had to appear in the courts for their rights. Ikramullah demanded the federal government to ensure payment of the pension which had been pending since 2010.