APROPOS the report, `Departments asked to settle pension cases` (Feb 16). It is good news for pensioners. Ombudsman Sulman Farooqui took the initiative to hold a meeting to resolve pensioners` issues. The meeting held at the Federal Ombudsman`s Secretariat was attended by representatives of 67 federal departments. It was advised that the respective departments should submit their cases to the Accountant-General of Pakistan Revenue for consideration.
It may be recalled that the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) is working under the federal ministry of science and technology. During the active service all PhD scientists working in different PCSIR units were receiving a PhD allowance of Rs10,000 a month.
However, the PhD allowance payment was discontinued after their retirement! Ombudsman Farooqui is of the view that a person who renders his whole life to the department should be rewarded in the best way possible.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recently visited CERN and recognised its importance as well as that of Dr Abdus Salam and his nuclear theory called `Standard Model` for which he won a Nobel Prize for Pakistan (Jan 8). The recent jubilation in Pakistan and elsewhere is caused by another Pakistani scientist, Dr Nergis Mavalvala, a Pofessor of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for the recent breakthrough in detecting gravitational waves.
Let us hope that on the basis of information contained in the preceding paragraphs the Prime Minister`s Secretariat, the federal ombudsman and the PCSIR chairman tal(e appropriate action about the disbursement of PhD allowance to the retired officers of PCSIR laboratories.
