LAHORE, Oct 15: It has taken 30 years to reach the pension case of a section officer to the Punjab Accountant-General's office.
The former employee of the provincial health department who served the government from 1947 to 1974, died two years ago after going from pillar to post for his pension for 28 years. Now when the papers have been completed, his widow is in coma in a local hospital and a daughter and a son are fighting for her life.
Naila Rahman had stated in a letter to Punjab Accountant-General Wazir Ahmad Qureshi that her father Dr Fazalur Rahman joined service in 1947 to provide medical aid to the people who migrated from India and retired as Punjab health department section officer on August 9, 1974.
Mr Rahman died on June 16, 2002. Family pension was also denied to his widow who fell seriously ill and went into coma. Mr Qureshi contacted the daughter of Dr Rahman by phone and assured her that he himself would ensure the grant of pension to the family. An assistant accounts officer went to the house of Dr Rahman and completed the pension papers.
The AG sent the papers to the health secretary on January 7 last along with a covering letter, drawing his attention towards the directives of the president of Pakistan and Punjab chief secretary which stated that the pension papers of an employee should reach the AG office six months prior to his retirement.
Mr Qureshi also sought disciplinary action against the officials responsible for the 30-year delay in grant of pension. The secretary returned the completed papers to the AG on September 23 and the son of Dr Rahman was handed over the pension payment orders by the AG on Friday.
Mr Qureshi informed the complainants at the Friday open forum at the AG office that a report on the estimated losses caused by the inordinate delay in payment of pension and GP fund to retired employees would be sent to the Punjab government. This would enable the government to punish all those responsible for the delay and the financial losses.
He said the authorities concerned did not send the pension and other payment cases to the AG office or its divisional accounts branches for years which was cruelty. "An in-service official starts making hue and cry if his salary is delayed for two to three days but the retired employees do not get pension - their only source of income - for years," Mr Qureshi regretted.
The AG made it clear that the pension case and payment of dues of an employee could not be withheld on the basis of an audit para. "Because of delays, the amount of retired employees remains in the government accounts and they should be given profit on it," the AG said.