LAHORE, Dec 28: Punjab Ombudsman Justice Sajjad Ahmed Sipra (retired) has directed the Lahore City District Government and the Pattoki Tehsil Nazim to pay pension and salary dues of schoolteachers.

Suraiya Sultan, widow of a deceased teacher, complained that the City District Government, which was the successor of the ex-Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore, had refused to pay its share in pension dues of her deceased husband on the ground that he had joined the government service after leaving the service of the ex-MCL.

The CDG in its report admitted that the deceased teacher had served in MCL schools for eight years before joining the government service with the permission of the competent authority. It was, however, contended that the deceased teacher was not entitled to pension because he had been relieved from the MCL service.

Directing the CDG to pay its share in pension dues, the ombudsman observed that the deceased teacher was entitled to pension from the ex-MCL because he had applied for the government job with the permission of his headmaster and had joined the government service after being relieved from the MCL service without any break.

In another case, Asghar Ali and several other schoolteachers complained about stopping of the payment of their salaries by the Pattoki Tehsil Nazim 12 years after their joining the service on the ground that their appointments were illegal despite the fact that the Kasur deputy commissioner had examined their case in the past and held that their appointments were in order.

The Tehsil Nazim submitted in his comments on the application that the former Town Committee chairman had made the appointments of the teachers. The chairman was empowered to make the appointments but he had not completed the required formalities for the purpose. He also sent copies of the correspondence made by him with the Punjab Local Government secretary on the subject.

The ombudsman observed in his order that as the Local Government secretary had directed the Tehsil Nazim to dispose of the case in accordance with the rules and regulations he was required to release the salary arrears of the teachers in the light of the constitutional provisions and Hadith that the wages should be paid to the labourer before the drying up of his sweat.