Islamabad, Apr 24, 2025: In a recent update from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), it was announced that pensions under the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) will be revised upward starting May 1.
Going forward, all age-related eligibility checks for pensioners will be strictly based on Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) data, eliminating the use of academic documents like matriculation certificates.
During a session presided over by Junaid Akbar, PAC was briefed about substantial financial discrepancies. Audit teams revealed that a staggering Rs. 2.79 billion had been paid to 5,131 individuals who did not meet the eligibility requirements.
These included cases where pensioners were either under the qualifying age or had conflicting details between their CNICs and educational records.
The audit indicated that out of nearly 800,000 beneficiaries, more than 5,000 received pensions against EOBI regulations.
Many males under the age of 60 and females younger than 55 were found to be drawing benefits unlawfully.
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EOBI representatives assured the committee that future age verification will be carried out solely through NADRA-integrated CNIC records, ruling out any use of school certificates.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis further pledged to address all pending pension files using updated identification protocols and reaffirmed the scheduled pension increase effective from May 1. He also requested a one-month timeframe to rectify the discrepancies.
The PAC instructed the ministry to present a comprehensive report within 30 days, ensuring transparency and accountability in the pension system.
In a separate matter, the committee was informed that EOBI is yet to retrieve Rs. 2.47 billion from 2,864 businesses that failed to enroll employees or make mandatory contributions.
While Rs. 1.53 billion has been successfully recovered, nearly Rs. 1 billion remains tied up in ongoing court cases. PAC urged the institution to complete all pending recoveries within the next month.
