I retired from PIA in 1996 and received 50 per cent commuted pension
for ten years, as per rules. In 2006, on expiry of ten years my
pension should have become full with the restoration of commuted
portion. However, three years have now passed and I am getting 50
per cent pension. I wrote to Chairman PIA on 3-5-2007, to Chief
Justice of Pakistan on 18-8-2007 and then I wrote to the sitting MD
PIA on 2-9-2008 but never heard from him as well. PIA pension rules
were approved by Government of Pakistan under PIA Employees Pension
Fund as per section 50-0 Income Tax Act, 1922. yet the PIA
management continues to ignore the plight of old pensioners who were
once the backbone of this Airline.
Every year Government employees’ pensions are increased whereas PIA
although 51 per cent owned by the State is violating all rules and
procedures. Similarly, in all State-owned enterprises all pensions
are doubled after ten years unlike PIA. As an old man with nowhere
to go I request urgent suo motu notice by the Chief Justice of
Pakistan regarding this matter. (0321-5826382) —Rawalpindi
Unconstitutional democracy
Z I Raheemullah
Never ‘democracy tirelessly preached by PPP-AZ, Mr Zardari, Prime
Minister was as violently violated as by despotic king-like-chairman
of PPP, President Zardari. The cabinet, parliament, institutions and
constitution is mocked daily in its face and judiciary was only
spared after Long March. To everone shocking surprise is that why
jurists, lawyers, political leaders do not protest, demonstrate,
take it up in SCP and if they fail why esteemed SCP does not take
suo mottos notice to save country slipping into lost dungeon of UK,
India, USA vested agenda in Afghanistan and region?
The county has been made into virtual Zardaristan,personal property
to be transferred to Zardari dynasty. The president who is more
often in foreign lands, unilaterally compromises on international
committment (recent) Kerry Lugar, which can put our enemies to shame
but not sychphants in PPP-AZ, MQM,MMA,ANP).He undertakes
committments on mega contracts, appointed people of choice on every
important institution eg,PIA,PSML who ruined them hallow in cash and
efficiency leading to rampant corruption of more than 500 trillion
rupees probably in last two years with worst ever crisis of ;mehngi,
bijli,roti,ata,pani, sugar ,etcetc .The poor taxmoney is doled like
water in PPP-AZ, politicized programmes as Benazir Income Support
fund and many similar to buy future its vote bank at the cost of
national exchequer of around 200 billion rupees.
Let me add here that after the appearance of full judgment of SCP
yesterday;PPP-AZ,its coalition partners must try Musharraf under
article 6.They have also lost every right to rule after NRO is gone
and should resign along with the President.The present set up has
virtually sold nation to UK , USA as our ultimate masters. Let
caretaker President,prime minister ,election commission of highest
integrity and caliber be appointed to hold immediately
constitutional, on NRoed elections to elect honest,noble and true
patriots who make Pakistan a great nation complying to Islamic
ideology as enshrined in our constitution. —Hyderabad
ZAB’s betrayal
Nazeer Abro
History is full of incidences where corrupt and notorious cronies of
men in power, have turned upon their benefactors, the moment they
are out of office. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto the most charismatic of all
politicians in the post Quaid e Azam era, fell prey to the turncoats
within his own party. His notorious and corrupt bullies, two former
police officer named Saeed Ahmed Khan and Mahmood, gave the
fabricated testimony that led to the judicial murder of Shaheed Z A
Bhutto. It was Saeed Ahmed Khan, who had physically assaulted J A
Rahim, the founding member of Peoples Party.
These two cronies of ZAB, were corrupt and very viscious, having
amassed a lot of illegal assets including scores of squares of land
in Sindh. They were easy targets for Zia and turned approvers at the
first opportunity. Zia allowed them to go scot free, with all their
illgotten wealth secure. Saeed Ahmed Khan’s family is settled in
America, living a life of luxury, while his benefactor, ZAB went to
the gallows. Perhaps our present rulers need to learn some lessons
and be more discreet in doling out vital posts to cronies.
—Hyderabad
Musharraf’s advice
Major [R] Zahid Salam
Gen Retd Musharraf has advised Obama not to hesitate sending more
troops to Afghanistan. The General who departed his country during
midnight lives in his plush 1.5 million pound apartment at Edgware
in London. He is presently on a lecturing tour in the US. His
spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, claims his former boss gets anywhere
between 2-3,00,000 dollars for each lecture. I doubt it. Americans
don’t offer a free lunch even to their guests, why would they pay
such a fabulous sum for nothing to the merrymaking General? And what
does he deliver that is not already known to the world?
Musharraf is at best a trumpeter of war on terror, while his few
buglers continue to cast him in image larger than life. In fact, I
find it rather amusing how the West listens to him and how his own
people look at his monkey-tricks. People think he is taking the West
for a ride since they know he took them for it for eight long years.
They are also fond of betting. Some speculate he will return; others
say never. Bets are on and bookies are making a windfall. Going rate
is 1:4; one out of four thinks he will return. My advice to those
speculating against his return is to quadruple their amount because
Musharraf will never return. He earned the animosity of too many
during his proxy rule; he must now imagine a prying eye behind every
bush.—Rawalpindi
Visa blues
Irfan Ismail
The UK visas service in Pakistan is in a chaotic state. The British
High Commission pays no heed to the miseries of visa applicants. It
is also true that visa applications of Pakistanis are processed in
Abu Dhabi and not in Pakistan. I applied for a family visit visa on
July 3. On Aug 20 I was informed that the British High Commission
had processed my application and that I would be hearing from
Gerry’s soon. Since then, no one has contacted me. I emailed them
twice asking for an update on my visa application status and each
time I was forwarded an FAQs file as an attachment.
It’s not just me, there may well be thousands of visa applications
pending with the British High Commission. Is the British High
Commission some kind of East India Company established to keep
Pakistanis hostage in their own country by holding their passports
for months? The UK government should realise that it is achieving no
goodwill by creating unnecessary resentment among Pakistanis.
Through this letter I request the British High Commission to resolve
the matter immediately and if they can’t then at least have our
passports returned. —Karachi
