Have Mercy
“Sir what about my pension case, I am coming today for the eighth time”, a seventy six years old retired government servant was crying before an arrogant pension in charge at a local government bank.
“Write down an application for the branch manager, get a stamped paper from Wahdat Road bank branch, get it signed from an officer sitting at treasury and then come back to me” replied the bank officer.
“Sir I am too old to go to all these places in this scorching heat. Can’t I get the papers from this branch and I am unable to move my hand because of paralysis attack, can you depute anyone for writing my application”? The old man said with tears of pain in his eyes. He looked tired of roaming around the places and banks for his small pension.
At this the angry bank officer shunned him by asking him if he wanted his pension or not. “You can immediately go away if you can’t do all this and don’t get on to my nerves”.
The old man started weeping and said that he hasn’t got his pension for last eleven months and that he was in need of money for his treatment, but why would the bank officer pay any heed to him. The man went on crying.
That was a terrible scene of a bank where I had gone to get my mother’s pension from. My question is: what is the fault of the poor government servants who, after serving for a lifetime must then standing in long queues waiting for their pension matters to be resolved? Why is the attitude of the bank officers so rude towards the pensioners? Is anybody looking into this matter?
As per the new policy of the government, the pension of the government servants was made online (transferred in to the bank account) instead of paying it in cash to the pensioners. That was the last nail in the coffin of all those who are aged and in need of money immediately, and whose pension is their only source of income. This does not happen with the government servants of grades twenty and above, maybe because of their contacts and influences, but on the contrary, the more lot is of the poor people where would they go. To get the pension online one has to make almost twenty visits of the concerned bank, the treasury and the accountant general’s office. In these twenty visits, the half of the pension is demanded by the corrupt officers of bank, the treasury and the accountant general’s office. Where do the poor manage this all from? If the pension was made online, why wasn’t a one window operation set up for the people?
It’s a horrible sight when you see the poor and aged people lining up in long queues, patiently waiting for their turn, and then being treated like dogs by the officers in charge, who don’t realise that old age would be knocking at their doors very soon. But in this age of influence and corruption why would anyone bother? I have had experience in this system myself: for my mother’s pension I had to run to all these offices and to get the work done, I was even asked for some inducement, which was sad. It took me seven months to get the work done.
My question to the decision and policy makers is this: why can’t we have quality arrangements to facilitate the pensioners as done in the west and civilised countries? In all the banks, a desk should have been set up for all the related works. The concerned officers should have been brought under one roof to facilitate the pensioners instead of making the pensioners run to three different offices. In my opinion, can’t we have some mercy on the poor and the old ones? All the codal formalities could have been solved under one roof.
Our esteemed pensioners are treated worse than a beggar and a stray dog, which is not the policy of an Islamic or a civilised state. These are small things, little things that make a huge difference. The young boys and girls arrogantly sitting inside the banks in air conditioners cannot realise the plight of these poor and old people. All the government owned banks especially the Nation Bank of Pakistan needs to be trained in terms of professional behavior and working. Again, have some mercy on the pensioners please.