KASUR, July 18: Scores of pensioners, widows and beneficiaries of the Baitul Maal are being driven from pillar to post by employees of the general post office.

A number of people told Dawn here that they had been visiting the office for the last 15 days but could not get their meagre pension amount due to the 'delaying tactics' and 'unnecessary' objections by the staff concerned.

Ghulam Fatima, the widow of a pensioner, told this correspondent that these elderly people had to undergo the inconvenience every month till some illegal gratification was presented for receiving the pension.

Likewise, Abdul Rashed, a retired army man, said he had to pay Rs200 to the agent of the clerk for getting Rs1,000. On the other side, the beneficiaries of the Baitul Maal complained of rude behaviour by the staff concerned.

They said that they had allegedly been forced to pay 20 per cent of their funds for getting the grant. Apart from the misbehaviour of the GPO staff, they said, other complaints like absence of drinking water, sunlight shades and the waiting place were lodged with Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool during his inspection visit to the federal departments last year.

The governor had ordered to provide all necessary facilities to visitors and elderly people, but the state of affairs at the GPO did not improve, they added. The post master general was contacted time and again, but he was not available at his office.