President asks Pakistan Post to refund erroneous deduction

Islamabad President Dr Arif Alvi has directed the Pakistan Post Office Department (Agency) to refund the pension amount of Rs 502,272 that was wrongly deducted from the service dues of a retired employee in March 2020 which he termed as maladministration on part of the Agency.

The President gave these directions while rejecting a representation of the Pakistan Post Office Department (the Agency) against a decision of the Federal Ombudsman ordering the Agency to refund the deducted amount from the pension dues and report compliance within 45 days.

The President in his decision held that the pensioner’s hard-earned income constitutes a fundamental right to livelihood under Article 9 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973 and depriving him even a part of this amount, cannot be countenanced except in accordance with the law.

He observed that the Pensions Act 1871 envisaged that no pension shall be liable to seizure, attachment or sequestration, and the Agency had unjustifiably recovered an amount of Rs.502,272/- from the complainant.

As per details, the complainant approached the Federal Ombudsman claiming that the amount of Rs502,272/- had been unjustly deducted by the Agency from his service dues.

The Mohtasib in its decision announced on April 2021 referred the case back to Pakistan Post Office Department to provide relief to the complainant within 45 days. Instead of implementing the decision, the Pakistan Post Office Department filed a representation with the President against the decision of the Mohtasib.

The President in his order upheld the decision of the Federal Ombudsman and directed the Agency to refund the amount along with the applicable bank interest rate within 30 days of the order.