I APPEAL to Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain to direct the Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation (APPC) to resolve my legitimate, longstandinggrievances as a former APP hand who served overseas as its correspondent in New Delhi.

I have not yet been paid Rs 758,452 on account of 31 months’ arrears of restored commuted portion of my pension. The APPC vide its memorandum of Jan 30, 2018 had assured me of payment on getting funds from Finance Division. This has not yet been done.

Also, to date medical dues totalling Rs 77,158 have not been reimbursed. Together these dues and arrears come to Rs 835,610.

The APPC may also be ordered to make up-to-date payment of dues on account of the annual national budgetary relief at10 per cent. It is already too late. More than a year has passed, but the APPC is yet to manage funds from the finance division, even though the offices of the two are only yards away in Islamabad.

Retirees like me remain deprived of lawful payment. Prime Minister Imran Khan attaches top priority to the healthcare of senior citizens. I, therefore, appeal to the information minister to order the APPC to restore hospitalisation on its panel for retirees on a priority basis. The APPC has failed to put any hospital on its panel as yet, affecting us badly.

My wife and I are patients of asthma, angina, hypertension and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia respectively. We entirely depend on my monthly pension and cannot afford medicines, much less hospital bills in emergency. I request the information minister for help to a family desperately needing the long overdue payment of arrears and other benefits.

Jalil Ahmed
Ex-APP Special Correspondent (India) and Director (ENS)
Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2019