PAA challenged for pensioner categories, allegedly concealing reports that found no evidence of ‘excess payments’
Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane. Photo file: Reuters
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) is operating under a single umbrella, yet enforces separate rules for its thousands of retired employees. While thousands of retirees receive full pensions and other benefits, over 2,500 employees are being deprived of annual pension increases.
According to documents and information obtained by Express News, retired PAA employees have been facing severe financial difficulties and destitution for the past five years due to the non-uniform implementation of pension increases.
The PAA management is allegedly violating regulations by creating four different categories for retired employees:
Category 1: Employees who retired on or before June 30, 2014, and have been receiving all pension increases regularly until 2025 without any gap.
Category 2: Approximately 2,280 employees who retired between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2022. They are not receiving pension increases for the years 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025.
Category 3: 309 employees who retired between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. They received increases for 2022 and 2023 but are deprived of increases for 2024 and 2025.
Category 4: Employees who retired between July 1, 2023, and June 2025. They received the 2023 increase but have not been given the increases for 2024 and 2025.
The current management, which has been handling the pension issue for the past five years, is the same administration that previously declared the pension increases from 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 as “excess payments.”
Today, the same administration, in its 18th Board Meeting, approved the pension increases for 2011 and 2015. However, it now maintains that the increases given for 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 are “excess payments” for Category 2 retirees.
The question remains: How can the earlier increases (2011 and 2015) be deemed correct while the subsequent increases (2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019) are declared excess for Category 2?
Haseeb-ur-Rehman, a senior retired officer of the PAA, lodged a complaint with the Senate of Pakistan regarding this matter. The Senate conducted a full inquiry, giving secretary aviation, director human resources, the then-director general of the civil aviation authority (CAA), and director finance the opportunity to appear before it.
However, none of them could prove that the pension increases from 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 were “excess.” This report is allegedly being concealed from both the PAA Board and the Senate.
Furthermore, a three-member committee headed by the aviation secretary, also conducted a thorough review but found no evidence of any excess payment. This report is also reportedly being withheld from the PAA Board.
According to the rules enforced in 2014, uniform principles apply to all retired employees, and discrimination based on the date of retirement is not permissible. The current management’s claim that pension increases do not apply to those retiring on or after July 1, 2014, is legally baseless.
Retired PAA employees Haseeb-ur-Rehman and Afzal have demanded that the inquiry reports be made public. They argue that these employees, who worked tirelessly – even during Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha – to ensure the institution’s growth and billions in profit, are being subjected to unfair treatment.
When contacted for comment, the spokesperson for the PAA stated that the authority has consistently granted pension increases in accordance with applicable federal government rules and its own service regulations.
Regarding the concerns raised by the pensioners, the spokesperson added that a proposal has been prepared to resolve the matter and will be presented for consideration at the upcoming board meeting, with the final decision subject to the board’s approval.
