Rawalpindi (Staff Reporter) The All Pakistan Railway Pensioners Association demands that until an agreement is reached with NADRA, the bank administration should continue to accept biometric, life, and no marriage certificates from railway pensioners.

An emergency meeting of the All Pakistan Railway Pensioners Association was held under the chairmanship of Mian Muhammad Aslam, during which detailed discussions were held on the new issues faced by railway pensioners and the obstacles to timely payment of pensions. Secretary General of the All Pakistan Railway Pensioners Association, Mr. Aurangzeb Tanoli, stated that the government had announced that the biometric verification of pensioners would be done through “Pak ID,” and life certificates could also be uploaded through the same platform. In this regard, a letter issued by the Auditor General addressed relevant institutions; however, other departments were not mentioned. He said that NADRA later clarified that only individuals receiving pensions through military accounts and IGPAR would benefit from this facility via “Pak ID,” while railway pensioners are not included as there is still no agreement between Pakistan Railways and NADRA. Aurangzeb Tanoli further stated that the situation becomes even more complicated for railway pensioners when they go to the bank and are asked to provide life certificates and biometric verification through “Pak ID.” He mentioned that the letter issued by the Ministry of Finance also only refers to the aforementioned two departments, while there are no clear instructions regarding other departments. He reported that when railway pensioners attempt to verify their identity through “Pak ID,” they receive a message stating that their pension record is not registered, causing them significant difficulties. During the meeting, the All Pakistan Railway Pensioners Association demanded that the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance issue an immediate notification to all banks that until an agreement is reached between Pakistan Railways and NADRA, all biometric, life, and no marriage certificates of railway pensioners should continue to be accepted by the bank administration as before, so that timely payment of pensions can be ensured.