APP pensioners made to run from pillar to post for securing dues

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The retired employees of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), a state-owned news agency working under the umbrella of the Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, have been made to run from pillar to post over the years to secure their outstanding dues from the organization they served for many decades. 

Despite having obtained the desired approval from the parliament followed by the formal announcement by the federal government, the pension amount has yet not been revised. 

The reliefs announced but not extended to APP pensioners include the 17.5 per cent hike announced in 2023, 15pc in 2024, and 7pc in 2025, whereas during the same period, parliamentarians, ministers, judges and senior officials have received substantial upward revisions in their salaries and privileges. 

Unlike these influential groups, many of whose members are believed to be having other income streams, the retired employees of APP remain totally dependent on their modest pensions, with no additional perks or benefits. 

The continued delay from the concerned authorities in releasing the due payment has left the APP retirees, battered by soaring inflation and a weakening currency, without even the minimal relief they are seeking for the past three years. 

The former employees of APP, who served the organization with dedication for decades, have a right to feel hard done by the concerned departments who have yet not released their overdue payments despite repeated meetings, follow-up messages and appeals.