Raise in PTCL employee's pension: Body formed to supervise Senate panel's directives

A parliamentary panel has constituted a committee to supervise the implementation of its directions regarding increase in pension amount and payment of arrears in phase-wise manner by Pakistan Telecommunication Employees Trust (PTET).
The subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication met with Rukhsana Zuberi in the chair here on Tuesday. The committee met to discuss the issue of increase in pension to the retired employees of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) by Pakistan Telecommunication Employees Trust (PTET) and finalised the issue. The meeting was attended among others by Senators Kalsoom Perveen and Abdul Rehman Malik as well as senior officers of the Ministry of IT&T, PTET and others.
The committee was told that PTET chairman is selected for a period of one year and its board consists of six members, three from the ministry and three from the PTCL. In 1990, TNT was converted into PTET and it started working for the welfare of employees separately.
Discussing the recommendations made in its previous meeting, the committee was told that as per its instructions, two board meetings have been held to resolve the issue and a report has been submitted in this regard. The committee rejected the report, saying it is incomplete and unsatisfactory and formed a committee headed by joint secretary MoITT one member each from the PTCL and the pensioners to supervise the implementation of the directions of the subcommittee with regard to updating the current pensions as per the government's announced increase and phase-wise payment of arrears.
In its earlier meetings, the committee was informed that the PTCL Board of Directors cannot amend the rules. After the non-payment of increase in pensions, 343 employees had gone to the Supreme Court where they were given relief while other employees were yet to be paid.
Rukhsana Zuberi had termed the non-implementation of apex court's decision as contempt of court. The PTET had informed the committee that by December 2018, total funds with the trust were Rs 109 billion while it needed Rs 116 billion, facing a shortfall of Rs 7 billion. Due to lack of funds, the payment cannot be made. The committee sought audit report of five years.
The committee directed the PTET to immediately update the pension amounts of the pensioners as per the government announced increase in pension from time to time and start disbursing updated pensions to pensioners immediately. The committee also directed the PTET officials to provide details of the losses suffered in investment in mutual funds together with their reasons. The parliamentary panel also recommended renaming 'Ufone Tower' in Blue Area, Islamabad, as 'Pakistan Telecommunication Employees Trust (PTET) House'.