Rehman Malik questions proposed retirement age

Islamabad: PPP senior leader and Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator A. Rehman Malik Friday on the floor of the House of Senate expressed his concerns over media reports regarding the proposed plan of the government to curtail the retirement age of the government employees from 60 to 55 and reduction in their monthly pension.

Speaking on his calling attention which he had submitted earlier this week, he said that there is a panic among government employees across the country since there are reports of curtailing their retirement age and reduction in their monthly pension. The government through Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, assured and undertook that government will neither curtail the retirement age nor reducing the monthly pension.

In his speech, he said that government in totally under the influence of IMF which probably has demanded reduction in government employees so it was planned to reduce the strength of government employees through reducing their age from 60 to 55. He advised the government to refrain from making such unwise moves against poor employees who had set many expectations to their pensions.

He stressed that if government takes such a cruel decision against government servants, it will face a lot of complications and agitation. He said that it is time for Pakistan to come out of IMF crunch for which time and again he has urged the government to use the Force Majeure law for waiving off the IMF and other external loans. He said that on the floor of the house he had predicted that value of rupee against dollar will sharply fall and it may fall up to PKR 180 against one US Dollar adding that there is an internal understanding from IMF to drop it to PKR 186.

He emphasized that government should refuse to pay the international organizations under the relevant sections of force majeure law as it is amply applicable to Pakistan due Coronavirus pandemic.