The Ombudsman Punjab has ordered to restore living allowance of those 116,379 pensioners of the Punjab government who did not opt for Revised Pay Scales in 2001 and immediately issue notification regarding re-fixation of pension by including the cost of living allowance at 7% of basic pay.
The ombudsman Punjab issued orders for restoration of living allowance of retired employees from grade 1 to 22 on the complaint of a retired Naib Qasid and two teachers. According to details, Mushtaq Ahmad, Naib Qasid and two schoolteachers belonging to Kasur and Sheikhupura Amanullah and Muhammad Iqbal Hussain Awan lodged a complaint to Ombudsman Punjab that they retired from their services before introduction of Revised Basic Pay Scales 2011 and were receiving living allowance at 7% of pay before retirement which was not counted while calculating their pensions.
The Punjab government froze the same for all employees without discrimination. Actually, it applied only to those who opted for the Revised Pay Scale 2001. The ombudsman Punjab directed Wazir Ahmad Qureshi, Consultant Ombudsman Office to probe the matter. It was disclosed during course of inquiry that the employees of federal, Sindh and Balochistan governments were receiving living allowance and the employees of Punjab government were deprived of the allowance. He refused to entertain the argument of the Punjab government that the provincial government was not bound to adopt every policy/decision of the federal government.
Consultant Ombudsman Punjab categorically conveyed that the provincial government was bound to follow the policies of the federal government in matters relating to pay, allowances and pension of the government employees. Availability of financial benefit to federal, Sindh and Balochistan government employees/ pensioners and denial of the same to Punjab government employees/pensioners, when facts and circumstances were the same, is considered an act of discrimination and repugnant to article 25 of the constitution, maintained Ombudsman Punjab. He directed the Punjab Government and Secretary Finance to immediately issue notification regarding re-fixation of pension of those 116,379 provincial pensioners, who had not availed the benefit of revised pay scale 2001 by including the cost of living allowance at 7% of their pay.
Consultant Ombudsman Punjab Wazir Ahmad Qureshi has directed Accountant General Punjab to establish special counters for the facilitation of more than 100,000 pensioners as all were above the age of 70 years. He has also directed to make such arrangements that the old pensioners do not have to visit his office again and again merely for pension re-fixation.