ISLAMABAD, April 17: Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi on Wednesday directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL) to bring the pension of about 40,000 of its retired employees on a par with the pensioners of other ministries and government departments.

The court last year directed the PTCL management to increase the pension of its retired employees in accordance with the policy of the federal government but the PTCL management filed an intra-court appeal against this order.

M. H. Aslam, a representative of PTCL pensioners association through Khalilur Rehman Abbasi, filed the contempt of court petition against the PTCL management for not implementing court order regarding increase in their pension.

Advocate Abbasi told the court that PTCL did not increase the pension of its 39,400 retired employees since 2010.

He said that the ministry of Information Technology and Telecom and law ministry also recommended the increase in the PTCL monthly pension in accordance with the directives of the federal government and the IHC but all had fallen on the deaf ears.

He requested the court to direct the PTCL management to providing immediate relief to the pensioners by increasing their pension and paying them their arrears and for initiation of contempt proceedings against the PTCL management.

During the hearing, PTCL counsel contended before the court that the PTCL management had challenged its earlier order it passed for the increase in the pensions and the matter is still pending before a two-member division bench.

IHC CJ Kasi then summoned the record of the case which was pending before the division bench and after examining pointed out that the division bench did not issue any restraining order and asked the PTCL counsel as to why they did not increase the pension?

“I will not tolerate any delay in the matters related to the pensioners of aged person,” the judge remarked.

He directed the PTCL management to clear the dues of the pensioners and increase their monthly pension in accordance with the policy of the federal government till April 25 and sought the compliance report on April 29 the next date of hearing of the case.