PESHAWAR: Retired employees of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) have called upon Chief Justice of Pakistan to order early disposal of their pension appeal which has been pending before various courts since 2010.
Through a press release, the retired NBP employees alleged that in 1999, the Bank Management, without fulfilling prescribed criteria, reduced the pension amount from 70 to 33 percent. In response, 164 retired employees had filed a writ petition before Lahore High Court (LHC) in June 2010. In January 2016, the Lahore High Court set aside bank management decision and admitted the retired employees’ petition. The Bank management’s review petition before Lahore High Court was also rejected.
The NBP Management then filed an appeal against Lahore High Court decision before the Supreme Court of Pakistan which was vacated by a three-member bench on September 25, 2017. The bank’s review petition has been pending before the Supreme Court since October 2017. Even the helpless employees have pleaded before the court to issue contempt of court notices against the bank management.
Through their appeal, the retired employees informed that most of them are living precariously and cannot afford even a two-time meal. A number of their colleagues have died but their family members, mostly aged and ailing widows, are now waiting for the pension amount. They called upon the Chief Justice of Pakistan to address their issue at the earliest.
