The Punjab Government Pensioners Association (PGPA) has strongly rejected the Punjab government’s decision to grant only a 3.5 percent increase in pensions, calling it unfair, inadequate, and discriminatory against millions of pensioners, widows, and dependent family members across the province.
Meeting Highlights Concerns
The decision was criticized during a meeting of the Association’s Central Executive Committee held in Lahore under the chairmanship of Patron-in-Chief Yawar Mehdi and Chairman Riaz Ahmed Chaudhry. The meeting reviewed the financial difficulties faced by pensioners amid persistent inflation, rising healthcare costs, increasing utility bills, and recent amendments to pension regulations. Participants expressed concern over the deteriorating economic condition of retired government employees and resolved to intensify efforts for the protection of pensioners’ rights.
Leaders Speak Out
Speaking on the occasion, Yawar Mehdi said Punjab pensioners were receiving the lowest increase for the second consecutive year despite facing the same inflationary pressures as pensioners elsewhere in the country. He termed the 3.5 percent raise insufficient in view of soaring prices, medical expenses, and utility charges.
Chairman Riaz Ahmed Chaudhry said a pension was a legally earned entitlement rather than a government favor and stressed that Punjab pensioners deserved treatment equal to that given to retirees of the federal government and other provinces.
PGPA General Secretary Mian Khalid Habib said pensioners had already been adversely affected by amendments introduced through the Finance Department’s December 2024 notification, including changes in pension calculations, commutation benefits, and family pension rules.
Demands and Appeals
The Association demanded immediate reconsideration of the pension increase, relief on a par with the federal government and other provinces, improved healthcare facilities for pensioners, and a review of recent pension-related amendments. It also called for the formation of a high-level committee comprising representatives of pensioners, the Finance Department, and relevant authorities to devise practical and sustainable solutions to pension-related issues. The Association appealed to the country’s leadership to take immediate notice of the hardships faced by pensioners across Punjab.
