National Savings fails to facilitate pensioners

Islamabad : Staff shortage and an inadequate number of branches have made it impossible for the National Savings to facilitate pensioners and investors at various branches across the country.

An administrative and management crisis surfaced when the Finance Ministry transferred the system of saving banks and pensions from the Pakistan Post to the National Savings as the latter wasn’t ready to handle this burden, an official appointed at the Central Directorate of National Savings told this agency.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) has been affected the most as there are only four branches in the entire region to deal with the pension cases from 10 districts, the official said, adding that such circumstances have made it impossible for the staff to properly serve the customers. Ghulam Mustafa, a retired soldier said that he came to Rawalakot from his hometown Abbaspur, which is more than 100 kilometres away, to collect his pension, but frustratingly the branch was closed when his turn came.

“I, along with 50-60 other pensioners, spent the entire night outside the National Savings Rawalakot Branch to collect my pension on the next day,” he said, adding that people from adjacent areas have to reach the branch at night to be able to receive pension on the next day. Another official of the National Savings informed that the Rawalakot Branch is headed by a grade 14 official instead of a grade 17 officer.