OKARA: Some 80 pensioners have been deprived of their pension since January, as they are awaiting clearance from the local government secretary in response to a letter written by the sahiwal commissioner to him four months ago.

This was revealed by a pensioner, Munawar Hussain, who had retired in 2011. He said that in 2002 after introduction of the district government system in the province, the municipal committee employees became staff of the Punjab government and since then were paid by the office of the executive district officer (finance).

The workers who retired during this system received their pensions till Dec 2016.

In January, the new local bodies system was introduced and pensions of the retired MC employees were stopped as funds were frozen.

In March, the funds were restored and the Okara district council started paying pensions to its retired staff of the health and education departments.

But the 80 pensioners of MC did not get their dues after the auditor of the district council raised objections that they could cater to their employees only. These pensioners were advised to contact the MC that also refused and claimed that it had already shifted all the funds to the executive officer of the finance department. So the pensioners should contact the EDO (finance) for their dues.

For five months, these pensioners of the education and health departments had been waiting for their pensions despite repeated meetings with officials of the district council, MC and EDO (finance).

They demanded the Supreme Court, federal ombudsman and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif take notice of this basic human rights issue.

SUICIDE: A man allegedly committed suicide after shooting at and injuring his wife when she refused to return to their house with him.

Shahbaz of village 58-GB Jaranwala went to his in-laws’ house on Tuesday evening in village 43/GD to reconcile with his wife Mussarat Bibi. But she refused to go back with him.

Shahbaz fired at his wife, and later shot himself in the head. He died on the spot.

His father-in-law Rafique rushed his daughter to DHQ Hospital.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2017