Pensioners and the Punjab government

The current business friendly PML-N government seems to have embraced illusionary notion that constructing motorways, flyovers, and underpasses is the only way to keep grip over people than providing good governance in a democratic way. Its leaders are audacious to defy Supreme Court judgments while always reiterating that they respect and honour judiciary. This is evident from an editorial in a local daily discloses which says the Punjab government has failed to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling with regard to payment of restored pension to its old employees while other provinces have complied to the ruling. These retired government servants have been denied their right, as if pension was not a right but a privilege to be granted by the government.

Not only that, as in most cases pension is the only source of income for the retired government employees. They also served the government on relatively low salaries for their life for benefits such as pension and medical care, only to find out that the government is reluctant to live up to its word on both counts. The Punjab government’s latest argument that due to paucity of funds it was unable to disburse Rs35 billion in lump to the retirees appears to be very weak and frivolous when it is spending billions of rupees on fancy projects ranging from flyovers, underpasses, ring roads, and signal-free corridors to facilitate the already affluent and privileged urban population of Lahore, Faisalabad or other big cities.

I wonder why the government can’t manage to discharge its obligation to clear the dues of retired senior citizens of Punjab. Will the Punjab CM (aka Khadim-e-Aala), who responds to every incident that has even a remote possibility of grabbing the attention of media, please pay some attention to resolve this long pending issue?

RAJA SHAFAATULLAH

Islamabad