KARACHI, July 12: The State Bank has directed the National Bank and Habib Bank to extend all possible facilities to pensioners in order to alleviate their difficulties in receiving pensions from banks’ branches.

In a communication to the presidents of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL), the central bank asked them to make available following minimum facilities at their branches or offices for pensioners, if these are not already provided:

All the branches should ensure payment of pensions to the pensioners from 9:00am to 5:00pm for which proper intimation should be displayed outside the bank branches.

Each branch manager should ensure that adequate space and counters are available for the pensioners at the branch to avoid long queues. The branch manager should take on the spot decision for opening of extra counters as and when the number in a queue exceeds fifteen pensioners.

Banks should make special arrangements to ensure that where the pensioners have to make a queue in front of a branch drinking water, shamiana or proper shelter is provided to protect them from heat and rain.

Similar arrangements will also be made available at all the 16 field offices of the SBP Banking Services Corporation.

The SBP asked the NBP and HBL to implement the above-mentioned decisions and report compliance. The SBP will also conduct surprise checks to ensure that the decisions are implemented by both the banks in letter and spirit and any violation of these instructions will attract punitive action.