Railways’ employees: NA body recommends early steps to timely pension payments

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs has firmly recommended immediate measures to guarantee uninterrupted and timely pension payments to all serving and retired employees of Pakistan Railways.

The Committee met MNA with Rana Iradat Sharif Khan in the chair at Parliament House on Thursday.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs briefed the parliamentary body on the challenges faced by pensioners. He noted persistent delays in the disbursement of retirement benefits and frequent complications related to proof-of-life requirements.

The Committee was also informed about delays in the payment of pension arrears, as well as cases in which pension payments were suspended without explanation. In addition, the Secretary highlighted recurring calculation errors and a general lack of a sympathetic attitude among officials responsible for processing pension cases.

The panel was informed that the State Bank of Pakistan confirmed that biometric “proof of life” verification is being conducted through Pakistani embassies abroad.

It was further apprised that NADRA has developed a mobile application enabling facial-recognition-based proof of life, which will facilitate pensioners residing in remote areas, as well as those living overseas.

The representative from the railway briefed the Committee that the Pakistan Railways (PR), an attached department of the Railways Division, is the only federal entity that finances pensions for its retired employees from its own resources. In contrast, pensions for employees of all other federal departments are paid by the Finance Division through the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR).

He said Pakistan Railways continues to face serious financial challenges due to its large and rising pension and salary liabilities, low revenue generation, an aging infrastructure base, outdated systems, high operating expenses (especially fuel and utilities), and an underdeveloped freight sector. As a result, PR remains heavily dependent on Federal Government Grant-in-Aid to manage its financial shortfalls, he said. Since FY 2013-14, the gap between receipts and expenditures has widened due to low revenue growth and insufficient Grant-in-Aid allocations, he said.

The Committee recommended that all employees who have served in the Railways are fully entitled to receive their pensions without hindrance and in a timely manner. Following an extensive and detailed discussion, the Committee recommended that in the next meeting, the Ministry of Railways present a concrete plan or way forward outlining measures to improve the existing pension process.

The meeting was attended by MNAs Raja Qamar-ul-Islam, Shaikh Aftab Ahmed, Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, Shazia Fareed, Malik Shah, Izbal Zehri, Naveed Aamir, Muneeba Iqbal, Naeema Kishwer Khan and Hameed Hussain. The Secretary of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and other senior officers of the Ministry of Railways, Finance, and the AGPR also attended the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025