Increase our pension

EOBI pensioners are a large number of senior citizens who have retired from various organisations. These people, however, can barely cover their monthly expenses with their current monthly pension of Rs8,500. The pension barely helps them pay utility bills. At present, retired employees are facing serious post-retirement financial hardships due to a sudden surge in the prices of essential commodities and medicines and other rising expenses. The incumbent government is requested to increase the amount of pension – a commitment which has already been made by PTI officials in the government.

Although the government announced an increase in the salaries of federal government employees a few months ago, it didn’t provide any type of financial benefit to pensioners. Since many retired people are senior citizens – the retirement age in the country is 60 or above – they are unable to either find a job or took to the streets to demand a raise in their pensions. It is worth mentioning that in December 20202, while addressing a press conference, PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari announced that the minimum EOBI pension amount would be Rs10,000 per month. This announcement provided a sigh of relief to people who hoped that the pension would increase soon. However, there hasn’t been any increase to date. The government should look into the long-standing issue of the much-awaited increase in EOBI monthly pensions. The minimum pension should be fixed at Rs10,000 per month.

Khalid Mahmood

Islamabad