KARACHI, Jan 15: A number of retired employees of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) have lodged a complaint against the KPT management for not receiving their due pension despite the federal government’s announcement of an increase in the amount.

Citing severe financial constraints as the outcome, the complainants have described their situation to be desperate as the rising inflation has reduced them to living hand to mouth.

About three hundreds persons, most of them widows, in a detailed joint statement have stated that while the increase in pension, which had been announced by the federal government for the period between 2001 to 2006, was forwarded to the retired employees in other government departments of the country including the officers of the KPT, the lower grade employees of the KPT were totally neglected in this regard.

They have expressed their astonishment over the decision that even those officers who had managed to get their sons appointed in the KPT on the basis of the ‘son quota’ were given the benefits while the rest of the lower cadre employees had been deprived of the monetary benefit. They have alleged that the decision to hold back the increased amounts in pensions had been taken by some of the high ranking officials of the Trust, which they emphasized was sheer discrimination. Despite persistent appeals to the prime minister and the Supreme Court their grievance has not been addressed so far.

Emphasizing their rights as patriotic citizens of the country who regularly pay taxes like other employees, they have accused the concerned persons of gross injustice and victimization for depriving them of their rights.

Addressing the president, prime minister, chief justice of the Supreme Court and the federal minister for shipping, they have demanded immediate consideration of their cases on humanitarian grounds and have asked these authorities to save hundreds of families from starvation.