Retired employees of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) have appealed to the Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination and the Secretary of the Ministry of IPC to take immediate notice of the non-payment of their pensions for the past two months.
According to a press release issued by the retired employees, PSB pensioners had been receiving pensions regularly since 2006, and no objection or adverse observation had been raised by any competent forum, including the Auditor General of Pakistan, commercial auditors, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination. They said the practice, continuing for nearly two decades, reflected the legitimacy and transparency of the pension system.
The retired employees said the 34th meeting of the PSB Board approved the implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in line with the Federal Government’s policy, with effect from July 1, 2025. Under the arrangement, monthly deductions at the rate of 10 per cent of basic pay are being made from serving employees, while existing pensioners are also contributing at the prescribed rate, which is to be enhanced to 20 per cent after they reach the age of 72.
However, the pensioners maintained that the Federal Government’s policy clearly states that the CPS applies only to employees appointed on a regular basis on or after July 1, 2024. They said deductions had also been imposed on existing PSB pensioners, which, in their view, amounted to applying the scheme retrospectively and had created serious concern among those who had retired before the policy came into effect.
The press release further stated that the situation worsened after the Ministry of IPC re-appropriated third and fourth quarter grants for the release of funds to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). As a result, the PSB was facing severe financial constraints and pensioners had not received their pensions for the last two months.
The retired employees said the delay had caused serious hardship at a time of high inflation and rising living costs. Many pensioners, they said, depended entirely on their monthly pension to meet household expenses, medical needs and other basic requirements.
They also claimed that the amount re-appropriated and released to the PHF was reportedly not placed before the PSB Board for approval. Instead of resolving the immediate issue of unpaid pensions, they said, the Director General PSB constituted a Pension Committee without a decision of the Board.
The retired employees referred to the relevant Board decision, which stated: “Preparation of proposal for the Pension Fund and placement before the Board for deliberation.”
They expressed fear that attention was being diverted towards alternative arrangements while the immediate financial crisis and their legitimate concerns remained unresolved.
The PSB pensioners urged the Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination and the Secretary IPC to ensure immediate release of the pending pensions for the last two months, restore regular and timely pension payments in future, and protect the rights and dignity of retired employees who had served the country for decades through the Pakistan Sports Board.
