ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday instructed the Employees’ Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) to guarantee a lifelong pension for Mr. Muhammad Shehzad, a visually impaired individual who was previously denied this benefit following his father’s death.
The President stressed that the state cannot abandon a person with disabilities (PWD), especially when his family, who were pensioners, are deceased. He expressed disappointment over EOBI’s lack of sensitivity in neglecting a PWD, particularly at a time when all his immediate family had passed away, leaving him unsupported.
Mr. Shehzad, who has been blind since birth, lodged a complaint with the Wafaqi Mohtasib, revealing that his father, Mr. Muhammad Afzal Zafar, a former EOBI pensioner, passed away on December 20, 2016. Following the earlier death of his mother during his father’s lifetime, he requested EOBI to provide him a lifelong “family pension” as a “disabled legal heir” of his late father.
However, EOBI denied his application based on Section 22B (3) (i) of the EOB Act, 1976, which states that only male minors under the age of 18 are eligible for a family pension, despite Mr. Shehzad being 44. After the Mohtasib discontinued further investigation, Mr. Shehzad appealed to the President of Pakistan.
President Zardari upheld the appeal, emphasizing that according to the Constitution of Pakistan, particularly Articles 9 and 25, a Person with Disability should not be deprived of a pension and merits more favorable treatment than other pension recipients in the country. He concurred with the Mohtasib’s recommendation to revise EOBI’s regulations to align with the Federal Policy.
Consequently, the President directed EOBI to ensure the payment of a reasonable pension/stipend to Mr. Shehzad, which should not be less than what his deceased father was receiving immediately before his death, to be funded from EOBI’s existing resources.
