A meeting of the standing committee held here on Friday under the chairmanship of Senator Rubina Khalid. Senator Rehman Malik said that PTET should be audited by an outside company. To scrap the Trust, a resolution will be brought in the House in this regard, he added.
Senate Committee Lingers Over Unpaid Pensions Issue of PTCL
The committee observed that if the Trust is not functioning then an administrator should be appointed for it. The committee has also sought the decisions of the courts regarding pension rules and pensioners from the Trust authorities. Rubina Khalid said that if the Trust cannot be run from the management then it should be abolished, the purpose for which the trust was formed is not being achieved. Kulsoom Parveen said that the parliament is supreme and its orders need to be implemented. IT Minister as well as Finance Advisor Hafeez Sheikh should also be called to the committee meeting. IT Minister does not come in the committee, where are they? Parliamentarians raised questions saying that even former PM Shaukat Aziz was called to the committee. Federal Minister for IT Syed Amin ul Haq did not even come to any meeting. Rukhsana Zubairi said that the Trust was not set up to stop pension’s and their investments is being mismanaged. These are criminal actions which should not have taken place. The minutes of the Trust meeting were requested but they were not provided, she said adding that they asked about the assets of the Trust but nothing was disclosed. The chairperson of the committee asked the PTET member what is the definition of the Trust. Federal Secretary IT Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said that he is an unconventional officer; it is not my job to make laws. The Senate is very respectful, immediate response is a priority. If it had been my pen’s prerogative to increase pensions, the decision would have been made long ago. This is the corporate sector and he will forward the Senate’s instructions to the PTET. He also added that increasing the pension of pensioners is an obstacle by law and change is needed. Senator Faisal Javed said that the secretary was saying that the law is the obstacle and it is necessary to change it. Senator Rehman Malik said that it would take time to make the law. According to the rules, pensioners should get increased pension. We are the representatives of the people and our work is being sabotaged. I am bringing two cases against them. We followed all the procedures and prepared the report which has been brought to the House, he added. However, it has not been implemented in 190 days. According to the old rules, the recommendations of the committee should be implemented. Pensioners are only demanding their rights. Senator Rehman Malik said that the board has no authority not to increase the pension. This is a fit case of FIA where many will get arrested. The law is being violated here. Member PTET said that the pension of some pensioners has been increased on the order of the court. Malik said that the Supreme Court has decided in 2018 to increase the pension of all.
