Basic Right: Govt fined for pension case delay

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday fined Punjab government through the Higher Education Department (HED) Rs100,000 on a petition filed by a retired University of Education (UoE) employee. Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan of the LHC remarked that the order was meant to be a warning to other government departments. Riffat Abbas, a retired UoE officer, stated that she had retired from government service in 2014, but her pension case had not been prepared. The fine amount will be paid to the petitioner. The court observed that pension was a basic right of a government employee. “The Supreme Court has directed all governments that pension cases be completed within 15 days of retirement dates. The HED and the UoE both tried to blame each other for the delay,” the court said. The court directed the government to resolve the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2015.