ISLAMABAD: Pakistan paid Rs342.1 million in pensions over the last five years to only 33 retired federal government employees living abroad, while the government has acknowledged that it does not have complete information about all federal pensioners who may have shifted overseas.
The figures were shared by Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb in the National Assembly in response to a question raised by Dr Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto.
According to the official reply, 33 civil pensioners appointed before January 2, 1959 are residing abroad and receiving their pensions in foreign currency through Pakistani missions. Their pensions are first calculated in Pakistani rupees and then disbursed in local currency through formal banking channels.
The official data showed that Rs342,109,614 was paid to these 33 pensioners during the five-year period from 2021 to 2026, averaging around Rs68.4 million per year.
The United States hosts the largest number of such pensioners, with 22 recipients receiving pensions through Washington, New York and Houston.
As per the government record, 11 pensioners are linked to Washington, where Rs136.47 million was paid over five years. New York has 10 pensioners who received Rs101.51 million, while one pensioner in Houston received Rs23.48 million.
Canada has six pensioners on the official list. Four are linked to Ottawa, where Rs14.37 million was paid, one is in Toronto and received Rs24.28 million, while one is in Vancouver and received Rs1.79 million.
The remaining pensioners are based in different countries. One pensioner listed in Vienna, Austria, received Rs2.24 million over five years. One pensioner in London received Rs21.47 million, one in Canberra received Rs9.39 million, one in Rome received Rs4.54 million and one in Stockholm received Rs2.56 million.
The government said these pensioners are not required to travel to Pakistan to receive their payments. The Accountant General Pakistan Revenues issues a one-time sealed payment authority in Pakistani currency to the Chief Accounts Officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which then arranges payment through the relevant Pakistani embassy or mission abroad.
However, the government admitted that it does not have complete information about federal pensioners living abroad who continue to receive their pensions in Pakistani rupees through the Direct Credit System.
The official reply said such pensioners are not legally required to inform the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues that they have moved abroad. Although they are required to provide proof of life, the AGPR does not have a system to independently obtain and verify their actual place of residence.
The government also stated that AGPR has no information about pensioners belonging to organisations outside the federal government, as pensions of autonomous bodies and corporations are handled by their respective organisations.
The 33 pensioners included in the official list comprise former ambassadors, senior government officers, engineers, directors, secretaries, auditors, medical officers and other retired employees from various government departments.
The government informed the House that work is under way on a digital system to facilitate life verification for pensioners living anywhere in the world.
The Controller General of Accounts, in collaboration with NADRA, has developed the Pak Identity App, which includes a feature for verification of life certificates and proof of life. The government said the application is expected to be launched soon.
At present, overseas pensioners receiving payments in foreign currency either submit life certificates or personally visit the concerned Pakistani embassy to prove that they are alive.
The question and its reply were laid before the National Assembly during its 29th session.
