A recent disclosure through a Right to Information (RTI) request has revealed that pensioners residing overseas, both from civil and military backgrounds, are being paid their pensions in foreign currencies.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), 164 pensioners are living abroad who are receiving their pension payments in currencies other than the Pakistani rupee.
This information, highlighted by a national daily, is noteworthy, especially when compared to the concerns raised by retired government officials in Pakistan who have been expressing dissatisfaction with the non-payment of pensions in rupees.
The issue, initially not widely known, came to public attention when RTI activist Naeem Sadiq pursued the matter after hearing about it from an acquaintance. The source indicated that a retired squadron leader residing abroad was receiving pension payments in dollars from Pakistan. Sadiq submitted a Right to Information (RTI) application to the Pakistan Air Force, inquiring about the number of retired officers residing abroad and receiving pensions in foreign currency. Despite the absence of a request for specific names, the requested information was not disclosed.
Subsequent attempts to obtain the information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Accountant General of Pakistan (AGPR) proved unsuccessful, as both entities refused to provide the details. Undeterred, Sadiq then approached the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC), but this avenue also proved unproductive.
Faced with persistent resistance, Sadiq elevated the issue to the Islamabad High Court, citing MoFA, Ministry of Defence, and AGPR as respondents in the case. Following a court notice, MoFA eventually relented and shared the information, bringing transparency to a matter that had initially been concealed.
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