03-03-2008, 11:08 PM
In a Financial daily (The Business Recorder) on 27 January 2008, one civic minded Rias Ahmed Khan of Karachi has narrated a shameful story. He opens with remarks that respect and care for senior citizens is a prime concern of any decent society more particularly in Islam. He says therefore it hurts even more when one hears of some extremely despicable tale of utter disregard of these lofty ideas and strict religious, moral and humanitarian percepts. Omitting identity of the family he writes that a Director of a Government Department died August 2007 leaving her 84 years widow. She was since 8 years on bed under supervision of private nurse not moveable herself, suffering from Alzheimer with total loss of memory. Her daughter started proceedings on behalf of her sick mother for getting pension when the Bank showed its helplessness unless the widow opens her own new account. Though the writer has not named the bank but I am confident it must be National Bank of Pakistan only where extreme pathic treatment an ordinary account holder meets. Perforce the lady was brought to the Bank in ambulance. The road was as most of the roads in Karachi are heavily dug up. She remained for long in ambulance when an officer had the time to came out to get this semi conscious womenâs thumb impression on account opening forms. After a few follow up visits the family learnt the widow is one again to come as earlier papers were wrong or incomplete (purely bankâs mistake I imagine). She was again brought in the same condition but this time the sun affected her waiting on road. Coming home she fell down breaking her hip, was hospitalized. Finally she died 8 January 2008 still her account not opened let alone start of pension.
In 1990 I struggled hard that people die in many odd circumstances when the heirs suffer hence no single signature account should be allowed. The demised Banking Council and all Banks resisted my move, for reasons best known to me, but later had to half heartedly adopt to the proposal. The newspapers wrote praising editorials on this decision. My luck was that the man sitting on the chair at that time was a public spirited person who termed my proposal as a humanitarian cause. At the same time separately I struggled that all dormant accounts may be publicized enabling unaware heirs to claim. The Account Opening Form was according changed to my sketched proposal enforcing joint accounts. In 1995 I felt Pakistan Post Office, National savings and others like NDFC etc also operate similar accounts hence this decision should be applicable on them too. To my bad luck the days had changed. Now we had started marching towards becoming another Hong King. The man sitting at chair this time threw away my petition on the ground that I was not an aggrieved. What a wonder on same subject in 1990 I was appreciated for raising humanitarian issue and today I was not an aggrieved. A civic minded citizen in Lahore came to know about this. He re-typed the text of my complaint under his signature which was properly accepted. He too was personally not at all aggrieved. The same man sitting on chair this time did not make any objection â perhaps today personal whims of persons sitting on the concerned chair matter more. The State Bank submitted before Ombudsman that both Pakistan Post and National Savings were not under its jurisdiction. The Ombudsman did not agree to this contention and terming the issue raised as âcommunity interestâ directed SBP in his final Order to implement the order for joint accounts etc.
SBP never implemented this 1995 Decision which in legal term is contempt of court. Sometime during 2003-2005 despite myself being physical partially handicapped feeling my civic obligation I once again raised the issue with Federal Ombudsman but this time on the subject of ânon compliance of his 1995 Ordersâ directing SBP to implement this humanitarian issue. Today we stand in worldâs top respected nations. Our treasury is full of 18 billions foreign exchange and so on. The time has changed. Today a father proudly brings cigarettes for his son. The Ombudsman Office did not entertain my petition on the plea that his office âOrder has already been implementedâ. Implemented â a big laugh!!!. A more bigger laugh rather a laughter â the Ministry of Law where I too raised this community issue not for myself but for the senior citizens also told me that the ombudsman order (of 1995) had already been implemented (as such in technical words this citizen is a liar). Did the bureaucrats sitting in ombudsman and Law Ministry offices came to know this in their dreams? Now hold your breath. When both the Federal Ombudsman and Law Ministry were telling me that the joint account order had already been implemented at the same time both the two Departments who were to implement the order were telling me totally a different story. The SBP whom ombudsman ordered in 1995 to implement the community interest issue after these 7-8 years in 2002-05 was repeating the same stand that National Savings etc were not under its jurisdiction. In other simple words it had not only cared to implemented the Ombudsman Order but also damned care even to give any value â otherwise it would had as per law filed a revision petition if it was not satisfied with Ombudsman order. Since today we are amongst the most developed nations and we have embarked on journey toward access to more justice, the Ombudsman did not take it a contempt enquiring SBP when in 1995 my office turned down your this plea and ordered implementation, instead of remaining silent why did not you submit a revision appeal before my office. While both Ombudsman and Law Ministry told me the 1995 Order was already implemented, the National Savings same time in writing was telling me that the joint account in senior citizens accounts (Pension and Behbood schemes) can no be allowed. It is my unshakable belief that the practical facts are always different then what the files for example any ombudsman or any ministry showed.
My father retired as a clerk. He had perhaps 3 lacs maximum. He did not put it in pension scheme saying âson I do not want my children to waste time from their livelihood in courtsâ in case of my death. He has it in bank account only because signature is joint Either or Survivor but is getting hardly 2% annual profit after compulsory deduction of Zakat and different taxes the next profit annually to him is Minus. My mother an 80 years old 30 years sick hands trembling after every six month was taken to national center, how it is another story.
I am struggling on this issue since about 18 years. The matter is nothing but merely allowing senior citizens to have their pension accounts on Either or Survivor basis to avoid them discomfort. The interim Government of Ch. Shujat first time officially admitted that in their old age the senior citizens need some physical rest. Realsing this as our all governments are free entry into Zoo was allowed but by increasing transport fares. During all this period I do not remember how many hundreds petitions I have sent to Presidents of the time, prime ministers, ministers, NGOs like Helpline, every sort of Senior Citizens Association or Foundation, Concerned Citizens, Human Rights Commission, The Network, senior citizens body of every day speaking Col. Riaz Jaffry, MNAs including Mr. Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhary. I had very hopes Choudhary Iftikhar Mohammad will give his real due kind attention to the matter and it was a light in the darkness that on his table the matter will not be read through bureaucratic eye glasses and a response will come but these hopes have died deep as this real public spirited kind man has gone home what appears t be some long rest. Today I have lost my one eye. In other I have hardly 25% vision left. I am diabetic. Yet I keep struggling and spending money on writing, costly postage on this. Only two days back with a new hope I have addressed Mr. S.M. Zafar and Prof. Khurshid Ahmed members of Senate Human Rights Committee. The issue involves no money, no expense at all. Just a little change in the procedure. Unfortunately such matters we are to appeal before those who had no such problems. For example when the then pubic spirited Federal Ombudsman ordered removal of disparity between old and new pensioners, the bureaucrat who advised the Government and prepared a summary for an appeal against this order does not need to go before any National Savings Center or a Bank for fetching his pension in his retired age. He had much. He, about 6-7 years back was fetching as per press report then a rent of Rs. 1.25 lack per month from his one property only in Islamabad rested to a German. Every one whom I addressed in the past in his old age is not to go to a national saving center and try to sign in his own 80-90 years with trembling hand and prove these shaky signatures were of his own, so why the hell they should listen sufferings of thousand and thousands like me. As said above due to my physical incapability I have just played on key board without pre-drafting or checking the contents hence error of omission or commission is expected but facts are true. In this age I am not afraid of any one for taking it up again or using any words to express my dismay but if some wants to hang me he can. When I raised the issue of dormant accounts in 1988 perhaps, I was then healthy and working abroad. One day I was summoned to Pakistan Embassy there where verbally I was cautioned why I keep taking up such matters which are not related personally to me.
The Indian Government reducing railways fares for general public has today announced 50% reduction in all classes to senior citizens.
In 1990 I struggled hard that people die in many odd circumstances when the heirs suffer hence no single signature account should be allowed. The demised Banking Council and all Banks resisted my move, for reasons best known to me, but later had to half heartedly adopt to the proposal. The newspapers wrote praising editorials on this decision. My luck was that the man sitting on the chair at that time was a public spirited person who termed my proposal as a humanitarian cause. At the same time separately I struggled that all dormant accounts may be publicized enabling unaware heirs to claim. The Account Opening Form was according changed to my sketched proposal enforcing joint accounts. In 1995 I felt Pakistan Post Office, National savings and others like NDFC etc also operate similar accounts hence this decision should be applicable on them too. To my bad luck the days had changed. Now we had started marching towards becoming another Hong King. The man sitting at chair this time threw away my petition on the ground that I was not an aggrieved. What a wonder on same subject in 1990 I was appreciated for raising humanitarian issue and today I was not an aggrieved. A civic minded citizen in Lahore came to know about this. He re-typed the text of my complaint under his signature which was properly accepted. He too was personally not at all aggrieved. The same man sitting on chair this time did not make any objection â perhaps today personal whims of persons sitting on the concerned chair matter more. The State Bank submitted before Ombudsman that both Pakistan Post and National Savings were not under its jurisdiction. The Ombudsman did not agree to this contention and terming the issue raised as âcommunity interestâ directed SBP in his final Order to implement the order for joint accounts etc.
SBP never implemented this 1995 Decision which in legal term is contempt of court. Sometime during 2003-2005 despite myself being physical partially handicapped feeling my civic obligation I once again raised the issue with Federal Ombudsman but this time on the subject of ânon compliance of his 1995 Ordersâ directing SBP to implement this humanitarian issue. Today we stand in worldâs top respected nations. Our treasury is full of 18 billions foreign exchange and so on. The time has changed. Today a father proudly brings cigarettes for his son. The Ombudsman Office did not entertain my petition on the plea that his office âOrder has already been implementedâ. Implemented â a big laugh!!!. A more bigger laugh rather a laughter â the Ministry of Law where I too raised this community issue not for myself but for the senior citizens also told me that the ombudsman order (of 1995) had already been implemented (as such in technical words this citizen is a liar). Did the bureaucrats sitting in ombudsman and Law Ministry offices came to know this in their dreams? Now hold your breath. When both the Federal Ombudsman and Law Ministry were telling me that the joint account order had already been implemented at the same time both the two Departments who were to implement the order were telling me totally a different story. The SBP whom ombudsman ordered in 1995 to implement the community interest issue after these 7-8 years in 2002-05 was repeating the same stand that National Savings etc were not under its jurisdiction. In other simple words it had not only cared to implemented the Ombudsman Order but also damned care even to give any value â otherwise it would had as per law filed a revision petition if it was not satisfied with Ombudsman order. Since today we are amongst the most developed nations and we have embarked on journey toward access to more justice, the Ombudsman did not take it a contempt enquiring SBP when in 1995 my office turned down your this plea and ordered implementation, instead of remaining silent why did not you submit a revision appeal before my office. While both Ombudsman and Law Ministry told me the 1995 Order was already implemented, the National Savings same time in writing was telling me that the joint account in senior citizens accounts (Pension and Behbood schemes) can no be allowed. It is my unshakable belief that the practical facts are always different then what the files for example any ombudsman or any ministry showed.
My father retired as a clerk. He had perhaps 3 lacs maximum. He did not put it in pension scheme saying âson I do not want my children to waste time from their livelihood in courtsâ in case of my death. He has it in bank account only because signature is joint Either or Survivor but is getting hardly 2% annual profit after compulsory deduction of Zakat and different taxes the next profit annually to him is Minus. My mother an 80 years old 30 years sick hands trembling after every six month was taken to national center, how it is another story.
I am struggling on this issue since about 18 years. The matter is nothing but merely allowing senior citizens to have their pension accounts on Either or Survivor basis to avoid them discomfort. The interim Government of Ch. Shujat first time officially admitted that in their old age the senior citizens need some physical rest. Realsing this as our all governments are free entry into Zoo was allowed but by increasing transport fares. During all this period I do not remember how many hundreds petitions I have sent to Presidents of the time, prime ministers, ministers, NGOs like Helpline, every sort of Senior Citizens Association or Foundation, Concerned Citizens, Human Rights Commission, The Network, senior citizens body of every day speaking Col. Riaz Jaffry, MNAs including Mr. Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhary. I had very hopes Choudhary Iftikhar Mohammad will give his real due kind attention to the matter and it was a light in the darkness that on his table the matter will not be read through bureaucratic eye glasses and a response will come but these hopes have died deep as this real public spirited kind man has gone home what appears t be some long rest. Today I have lost my one eye. In other I have hardly 25% vision left. I am diabetic. Yet I keep struggling and spending money on writing, costly postage on this. Only two days back with a new hope I have addressed Mr. S.M. Zafar and Prof. Khurshid Ahmed members of Senate Human Rights Committee. The issue involves no money, no expense at all. Just a little change in the procedure. Unfortunately such matters we are to appeal before those who had no such problems. For example when the then pubic spirited Federal Ombudsman ordered removal of disparity between old and new pensioners, the bureaucrat who advised the Government and prepared a summary for an appeal against this order does not need to go before any National Savings Center or a Bank for fetching his pension in his retired age. He had much. He, about 6-7 years back was fetching as per press report then a rent of Rs. 1.25 lack per month from his one property only in Islamabad rested to a German. Every one whom I addressed in the past in his old age is not to go to a national saving center and try to sign in his own 80-90 years with trembling hand and prove these shaky signatures were of his own, so why the hell they should listen sufferings of thousand and thousands like me. As said above due to my physical incapability I have just played on key board without pre-drafting or checking the contents hence error of omission or commission is expected but facts are true. In this age I am not afraid of any one for taking it up again or using any words to express my dismay but if some wants to hang me he can. When I raised the issue of dormant accounts in 1988 perhaps, I was then healthy and working abroad. One day I was summoned to Pakistan Embassy there where verbally I was cautioned why I keep taking up such matters which are not related personally to me.
The Indian Government reducing railways fares for general public has today announced 50% reduction in all classes to senior citizens.