KARACHI: Academics and rights activists have raised grave concerns over the non-payment of salaries and pension dues to the retirees and staff at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology (FUUAST) and called for the varsity management to resolve the issues.

Speaking at an event organised at the Karachi Press Club here on Monday, they expressed concern over five months of unpaid pensions of the retirees, a ten-month suspension of housing allowances, andtheir being without medical coverage for over a year along with the two months of withheld salaries of serving faculty.

Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan, who was representing the retired employees` committee, said that FUUAST Vice Chancellor Dr Zabta Khan Shinwari had already acknowledged under oath before the federal ombudsman that Rs670 million is available in the pension fund and has been invested. `Yet, the retirees are left with nothing but hope and silence,` he lamented.

Iqbal Hussain Naqvi, former university treasurer and elected member of the nominating committee, said that this substantial fund, accumulated over decades, has been locked in low-return investments and is yielding only 7pc annually, which is far below market standards.

`It is a tragedy that even this meagre profit was not used to offer relief before Eid,` Mr Naqvi said.`Instead, the profits were reinvested while those who served the university for a lifetime face despair.

This is not mismanagement, it`s criminalneglect,`he added.

Mr Naqvi further said that employee`s salary deductions, meant for general provident and provident funds, are allegedly not beingsecuredindedicatedaccounts but are instead diverted for other uses, which is a legal violation.

Dr Syed Jafar Ahmed, Dr Syed Asghar Ali, Dr Iftikhar Ahmed Tahiri, Roshan Ali Soomro, general secretary of the Abdul Haq Campus Faculty Association and others also spoke/ Human Rights Commission of Pakistan chairman Asad Iqbal Butt, senior journalist Mazhar Abbas, Dr Riaz Shaikh from SZABIST, rights activist Mehnaz Rehman and veteran educationist Prof Anees Zaidi were also present on the occasion.