ISLAMABAD, July 14: The government informed the Senate on Wednesday that the Supreme Court was working below its sanctioned strength of judges, as four vacant posts were yet to be filled.

The information was placed before the upper house in a written reply by Minister of State for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Raza Hayat Hiraj to a question from MMA Senator Professor Ghafoor Ahmed.

"The (four) posts will be filled in after receipt of recommendations from the constitutional consultees," the minister said. Under the 1973 Constitution, Supreme Court judges must be appointed by the president after consultations with the chief justice of the court, which consists of 16 judges other than the chief justice of Pakistan.

Mr Hiraj said 15 judges - one short of the total strength - were working in the Supreme Court in October 1999 while the current strength stood at 12. In response to another question from the MMA senator, the minister said 13,345 appeals were pending with the Federal Services Tribunal.

He said a proposal to have tribunal branches in Balochistan and the NWFP was not agreed to by the Finance Ministry. However, he said that as suggested by the Finance Ministry, a proposal for one additional bench each at Islamabad and Karachi was under preparation.

In reply to a question by Senator Syed Murad Ali Shah, the government said a minimum pension of Rs700 per month - less than the minimum poverty level of Rs848 per month identified in the government's Economic Survey for the previous fiscal year - and a maximum of Rs1,680 per month was being paid to "insured senior citizens" under the Employees Old Age Benefits Scheme.

The government said a proposal for a Definitive Progressive Pension Scheme was under active consideration of the government. The Senate was told that 234,772 senior citizens were getting a pension till March 2004 under the Employees Old Age Benefit Scheme.

RAVI RIVER POLLUTION: Minister of State for Environment Tahir Iqbal informed the Senate in a written reply that under a UNDP programme, the government was taking steps to control pollution in Ravi river by Hudiara drain originating in India and untreated sewage discharge from Lahore city.