Lawmakers surprised as EOBI board’s members stay unchanged since 2013
Zubair Qureshi
The Employees Old Age Benefits Institution, EOBI, is expected to receive a contribution revenue of Rs38 billion against an approved target of Rs33 billion during the ongoing year 2022-2023.
Chairperson EOBI, Naheed Shah Durrani informed a meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (HRD) at the Parliament House on Monday. Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar presided over the meeting.
The Senate Committee was briefed by Chairperson EOBI regarding the role and working of the institution. She apprised that EOBI was a leading institution which provided social security to its citizens to enhance the quality of their lives.
She informed that EOBI has received a contribution of Rs180 Billion during the last ten years. However, despite the importance of EOBI, no attention has been given over strengthening the administrative structure and Board of EOBI, she stated.
Senator Shahadat Awan asked why the members of Board of Directors have not been changed since 2013.
In reply to that, she maintained that since the devolution, both the Punjab and Sindh Province had refused to accept EOBI as a federal subject and that is why its members have not been replaced in all these years.
While deliberating on the current status of 18 criminal cases, Senator Shahadat Awan questioned as to whether the challan have been filed against the accused or not and as to why the inquiry has not been initiated in all these years. Chairperson EOBI commented that filing challan against the accused have been filed and the process was delayed due to indifferent attitude of FIA as filling charged or challan is prerogative of FIA not EOBI. However, she requested the chairman of Senate’s committee to invite FIA representative in the next meeting. Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar directed the EOBI to submit copies of challan and decided to take briefing from FIA on the subject matter in the next meeting. The meeting was attended by Senator Manzoor Ahmed Kakar,State Minister for Law and Justice Senator Shahadat Awan, Senator Shaheen Khalid Butt, Senator Muhammad Asad Ali Khan Junejo, Senator Prince Ahmed Omer Ahmed Zai, Secretary for MOPHRD Zulfiqar Haider, Chairperson EOBI Naheed Shah Durrani and other senior officers of relevant departments were also in attendance.