Punjab barred from imposing cut on pension

LAHORE

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court on Friday restrained the Punjab finance department from imposing a cut of 20 percent in the pension.

The judge also sought replies from the federal and Punjab government till February 19 on petitions of a number of pensioners challenging government decision of 20 percent cut in the pension.

The judge had already rejected a decision of Punjab finance department of giving benefit of 20 percent increase in pension instead of 50 percent.

A number of pensioners from different departments had filed hundreds of petitions. Petitioners counsel Afzal Shaheen Pirzada opposing this decision said that no benefit could be taken back after the order of the Supreme Court to this effect. He said the apex court had directed the government to pay all benefits to the pensioners.

 He said that now the government had imposed a 20 percent cut in the petitioners dues which was not only unjust but a cruel act of the government which should be declared null and void.

amnesty case: The Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Karim on Friday sought reply from the federal government by March 17 on a petition challenging the tax amnesty scheme.

Petitioner advocate Zaka Ashraf said that the government introduced this scheme to protect trader community which was already not inclined to pay the tax on one pretext or the other. He said that this scheme was discriminatory as no such concession was given to any other segment of the society.   He requested the court to declare this scheme violation of the Constitution.