Khyber Pukhtunkhwa government has taken back its notification about fixing upper age limit of 63 years for retirement of government servants. The provincial government has accepted the verdict of Peshawar High Court, restoring 60 ears as retirement age limit on superannuation. A memorandum for the implementation of the verdict has been sent to all administrative secretaries of the provincial government. Both old age government employees and the unemployed youth were unhappy on the upward revision of retirement age limit.
The job market has already shrunk over the past 12 years and increase of three years in upper age limit for retirement has sent a wave of frustration among the youth about the employment policy of PTI government. The incumbent government either by default or design stepped into the shoes of previous ANP government for doing legislations repugnant to the existing federal laws and article of the constitution that gives precedence to federal laws over provincial ones. Article 143 of the Constitution of Pakistan clearly envisages this provision of precedence. The upward revision of retirement age was in violation of fundamental rules which had been passed by the federal legislature and remain enforced in other three federating units. Peshawar High Court declared null and void the Civil Servants Amendment Act of February 19, 2019 which had been passed by Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Assembly last year. The handle of 18th Amendment must not be overstretched.
A number of pension cases sent by different departments to the finance department are stuck at present. Hopefully, after the court verdict their disposal shall be expedited.
