LAHORE, April 25: For pensioners and civil servants it is an agonizing wait what the pay and pension committee has in store for them in the next budget. Burdened by inflation, pensioners are losing their patience when they go through media reports that the raise may not be more than 15 per cent against their expectation of over 50 per cent in the light of promises made by top government officials during the last one year.

The pay and pension committee formed by the prime minister is expected to submit its recommendations regarding a raise for civil servants and pensioners by next week which, if approved by the finance ministry, will be announced in the June’s budget speech.

Made to live with promises, the pensioners feel dejected when they find the perks and privileges of the ministers, parliamentarians and judges raised with a stroke of pen.

“It seems that we are living in the Dark Ages where all privileges and benefits are for the ruling class while the subjects are supposed to work with no complaints,” says Khadim Husain, an old pensioner from the Amar Sadhu area.

A retired educationist, Mr Husain wants to form a body of ‘utterly neglected’ people to fight for their rights.

“President Pervez Musharraf did announce a year ago that a body (pay and pension committee) had been formed. What it has in store for us nobody knows. Shaukat says the kitty is full with dollars but for whose benefit?” Mr Husain questions.

Besides Mr Husain, a couple of other pensioners who approached Dawn were also critical of parliamentarians’ role. “Not a single MP speaks in our favour. But when it comes to their privileges, motions are carried in just one session,” says Shahbaz Zafar.

The present government, according to him, has so far raised salaries and house rent of ministers and MPs by 122 and 137 per cent, respectively. Whereas the pensioners who retired in grade 1 to 7 got a raise of Rs168 last year.

“This is a sheer injustice,” says Zafar, who requested the government that this year the raise should not be less than Rs1,000.

For those who retired in grade 1-16 before 1980 the going is very tough, with their pensions ranging between Rs450 and 3000 a month. They find themselves discriminated against when they see their juniors retiring after 1980 getting better pensions.

Similarly, ex-servicemen complain of discrepencies in their pensions which is the lowest for those who retired before 1982 and the highest for those retiring after 1994.—IA