It is a matter of great irony that in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the golden principles of Islamic principles and code of life have never been taken seriously by the heads of government in power. The people of the country are undoubtedly the ones who bring them to the seat of power, who elect their representatives through secret ballot to ensure the protection of their rights. And to play a positive role in implementing the laws in force, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which is the primary responsibility of every person living in the country, regardless of their status. According to the law, the majority of elected representatives are required to take an oath before assuming their official duties, so that they can do justice to their position, implement positive activities, and serve the people from all walks of life without any distraction. Today, I am highlighting the issue of a class whose situation is apparently not looking good, who is constantly being ignored. The frail senior citizens, who are the secret of the development of any country, are on the path of development thanks to their abilities. They spend their energy for the development and stability of this country by using their physical and mental strength day and night to maximize the precious moments of their youth. And after the age of 60, when they retire after their continuous hard work and struggle, all the privileges they received are terminated forever. Our beloved religion Islam emphasized the need to understand the greatness of elders 1400 years ago and taught us to treat them with kindness and love. If only 50 percent of this golden principle had been followed, a large number of people deserving of the blessings of this world and the hereafter would have appeared in every corner of the world. Dear America and Australia, where despite the absence of an Islamic system, there are positive decisions and implementations for the value and worth of the elderly, but it is very sad to express the fact that in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, despite the presence of Islamic principles, the elderly are completely ignored. Most government employees in Pakistan are protected from mental and physical pressure to some extent during their employment because their boss is also a government employee and those working under him are also government employees, so they think of each other. They are given a reasonable amount as a pension every month after retirement, with which they can meet their medical and other facilities, while employees working in private institutions cannot even imagine this gentle attitude. Reaching your duty on time, salary deduction for not coming on time, but there is no fixed time for leaving, and if the employee does not adhere to this principle, the fear of dismissal from the job is always hovering over their heads. The target is not met on time. In this case, it is mandatory to give more time. Employees working in private institutions do not have access to many facilities compared to government employees. Employees working in private or semi-private institutions are also subjected to mountains of injustice during their employment and after retirement, this process continues with an inappropriate amount of pension from UVI. Approximately five lakh EOBI pensioners have always been victims of government reproach. Why don’t the ruling legislative bodies of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan make such a law so that every retired person can live his life to some extent properly in his old age when he is no longer capable of doing any work and suffers from many incurable diseases. At present, UBI pensioners are getting only Rs. 11,500 per month pension, while the pension of a retired government employee is many times higher, with which they are living a good life. Retired employees above the age of 60 do not have the strength to go out on the streets and record their protest. For the welfare of the elderly EOBI pensioners and to fight for their rights, the EOBI Pensioner Welfare Association Awwa was established so that such a thing does not happen again and the fight for the elimination of injustice and the approval of legitimate demands is being fought day and night, which is repeatedly drawing attention to practical measures to eliminate the injustice of government officials. Some of the legitimate demands of Awwa are as follows: 1- The current pension should be increased from Rs. 11,500 to be set equal to the basic salary of the current employees of the Federal Government, which is currently Rs. 37,000 per month, after the permission of the Board of Trustees EOBI. 2- Social Pension Pensioners who are unable to work further after retirement due to old age and physical weakness and diseases should be immediately issued health cards.
3. Like other countries, orders should be issued to provide pensioners with old age benefits after retirement of senior citizens, which can be provided from the resources of the Government of Pakistan.
4. In 1976, EOBI was established under an Act of Parliament. Until 1995, one percent of the insured person’s salary for 15 years and five percent of the basic salary of the institution in which the insured person is working, i.e. a total of six percent, was given as a matching grant to the EOBI funds, which significantly increased the EOBI fund. However, this process has been stopped since 1996, which is completely unfair. This contribution should be restarted and the amount generated since 1996 should be deposited in the EOBI fund so that there is no difficulty in giving a reasonable increase in the pension of pensioners and other benefits to which they are entitled.
