The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought straight response of the federal government as there any possibility to give a raise in pension to 400,000 pensioners covered under the Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI).
A three-member bench led by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar resumed the hearing on identical petitions seeking implementation of the apex court's directives to give raise to the pensioner amount from Rs3600 to Rs6000 per month. The federal government in the national budget for the fiscal year 2014-2015 had announced increase in pensions from Rs3,600 to Rs6,000 being paid through the EOBI with effect from July 2014.
Currently more than 4,00,000 pensioners in the country were facing financial problems as the EOBI failed to implement the federal government announcement for increase for the pensioners to Rs6,000 per month in the financial budget for 2014-15.
During the course of proceedings, Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt, Deputy Attorney General Sajid Ilyas Bhatti and a huge number of octogenarian pensioners were present in the court room. Justice Nisar while addressing Attorney General Butt said, "can you meet daily expenses against the amount of Rs3,600" to which the Attorney General submitted that the government was taking measures to address the issue sincerely and sought time to submit a report in the matter.
Adjourning the hearing for two weeks, the bench hinted at to conduct hearing of the matter on day to day basis.