Meagre pension

This is to draw the attention of the higher authorities to the fact that EOBI pensioners have not got any increase in pension since 2013 and are still receiving the meagre payment of Rs5,250/month. The ironic part is that these pensioners are being denied of the money that was deducted from their monthly salaries and paid into the EOBI account. To qualify for receiving the pension, a person has to be 60 years or above, pay into the fund for at least 10 years and be the employee in the private sector.

Till now, over Rs350 billion have been collected out of which Rs40 billion was lost to corruption by the former chairman. While the government was not bothered when Rs40 billion of poor and middle-class retirees was wasted, it has now unapologetically refused to increase the pension. The government has unlimited funds for fancy airports, motorways and bus services, but it doesn’t have the money for retired employees who are only asking for an increase in pension from their own money and not from taxpayers’ money. It is hoped that the authorities concerned will do something about it.

Syed Hussein El-Edroos

Islamabad