LAHORE: The Punjab government, on the directions of the Punjab Ombudsman, has amended the Punjab Pension Rules, which provide that divorced daughter and unmarried sister of a deceased government employee will also be entitled to family pension till life after his widow, infants and unmarried daughters.
The Punjab Finance Department has issued the amended notification and sent its copies to administrative secretaries, heads of the attached departments, district coordination officers, Lahore High Court, accountant general of Punjab, district advisers of the ombudsman of Punjab and the district accounts officers for compliance with effect from May 15, 2013.
Samina Gulnar Khanam, and Zubaida Bibi, divorced daughters of deceased government employees Fazal Husain and Abdul Rahim, lodged applications with the ombudsman that they had no regular source of income after the death of the their father and the payment of family pension was also stopped as they were not entitled for the same as per existing rules although they were dependent on their families.
In similar applications to the ombudsman, Sakina Begum and Ata Bibi, unmarried sisters of the late Shafqat Ara, and the late Hajira Begum, saying they were dependent on their sisters who were government employees but payment of pension was stopped with their death.
Punjab Ombudsman Javed Mahmood directed Punjab Mohtasib Pension Cell In Charge Wazir Ahmad Qureshi to probe the issue and submit appropriate amendments in existing rules.
The ombudsman learned as per finance department’s notification in 2013, the divorced daughter was entitled for grant of family pension till her re-marriage.
The ombudsman observed that the widowed daughters and unmarried sisters of the deceased pensioners’ civil servant, wholly dependent and residing with the deceased pensioners, do face the similar agonies and miseries as the widowed daughter and unmarried sister.
Divorced daughters and unmarried sisters are left with no regular income to support their livelihood, health care and social society after the death of father and brother.
The ombudsman said articles 9 and 38 of the Constitution made the state responsible to provide basic necessities of life such as food, housing, education and medical relief to citizens.
The inclusion of widowed daughter in the amended notification of May 15, 2013 for the grant of family pension justified the implementation of the provisions of Constitution.
The case of divorced daughter and unmarried sisters tended to commensurate with the case of widowed daughter, which is prohibited under the provisions of article 25 of the Constitution.
Published in Dawn January 15th , 2015
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