ISLAMABAD: Thousands of Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) pensioners, who have been languishing to make ends meet on a stipend of a few thousand rupees, have appealed Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar to take suo motu to alleviate their suffering.
In a letter addressed to the CJP, an EOBI pensioner Mrs Sybil states that a large number of EOBI pensioners have worked in private institutions without any post-retirement benefits such as provident fund or gratuity. The applicant recounts in her letter to the CJP that since her retirement, she has been receiving a paltry Rs 5,000 per month from the EOBI and that the amount has not been increased in the last few years.
“With this amount, it is extremely difficult to even buy medicines,” Mrs Sybil writes.
It is pertinent to mention here that there is a yearly increase of 15 to 20 per cent in the pensions of government employees, unlike the private sector.
“The Constitution of Pakistan promises all citizens the right to live with dignity, however, I and millions of other Pakistanis continue to be deprived of this right due to the government’s apathy towards people’s welfare,” the letter reads.
EOBI was established in 1976 during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government and it operates under a mechanism whereby government employees pay a percentage of their salary each month during their service to the institution, which is in turn responsible for remunerating them upon their retirement. Furthermore, EOBI is also authorised to invest money in order to increase its capital.
The infamous Rs 44 billion corruption for which its ex-chief Zafar Gondal was arrested in September 2014 has become a huge stain on the organisation.
Gondal was accused of spending the Rs44 billion on the purchase of land in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi at exorbitant prices in violation of EOBI rules and despite stiff opposition from EOBI board members. In August 2017, Gondal was dismissed from service after charges of corruption and misconduct were proven against him.
While talking to Pakistan Today, Advocate Supreme Court and Senior Partner Ahmer Bilal Soofi and Company (ABS&Co.) Muhammad Majid Bashir said that he is all set to file a public interest litigation on the case where he himself will become the party and make EOBI high-ups respondents.
“It is about time that employers are made to contribute more to the fund, make EOBI invest in more lucrative projects and raise the monthly stipend to at least 25,000 rupees,” he said.
Bashir further said that his team is working on the petition and will file it in the Supreme Court any day next week.
