The Supreme Court has directed the federal government to furnish the minutes of the meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on the Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) pensions.
Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Sohail Mahmood informed the bench that in the CCI meeting it had been decided that the federal government would manage EOBI affairs.
A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, hearing the EOBI pensioners' case asked the deputy attorney general to place the minutes of the CCI meeting before the bench on the next date of the hearing.
In the last hearing, the federal government was ordered to inform whether it liked to retain the EOBI or devolve this subject to the provinces in view of the 18th constitutional amendment.
Sohail informed that the EOBI pension that was Rs5,250 was increased to Rs6,500 in 2019, and it had been further increased to Rs8,500/per month.
The notification in this regard would be issued soon.
Justice Muneeb Akhtar observed that many issues are connected with the case, and each one needed to be heard separately. Justice Mushir Alam said many applications were related to the EOBI pensions.
The petitioners counsel contend that in order to seek time the court was informed that the matter was before the CCI, adding till to-date no decision of the CCI was before the court.
Upon that Justice Mushir directed the DAG to file the CCI decision on the next date of hearing. Established in 1976 during the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) government, the EOBI operates under a mechanism whereby the government employees contribute 1 percent of their salary each month and the employer 5 percent to the institute. The EOBI is responsible for remunerating the employees upon their retirement.
The EOBI is also authorized to invest money to increase its capital. A massive scam was unearthed in 2013.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Zafar Gondal, the then chairman of the institute in September 2014 for spending Rs44 billion on purchase of land in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi at exorbitant prices in violation of rules despite opposition from the EOBI Board.The case was adjourned for two weeks.
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