LARKANA: Thousands of retired Sindh government servants in Sindh are constantly facing hardships in drawing their pension amount from National Bank of Pakistan and other banks.

During the current month, long rows of aged men, women and widows were seen standing outside various bank branches in Larkana, Naundero and Ratodero since 1st June for verification of their thumb impression or fingerprints which caused them tremendous woes in this sizzling hot weather and rude behaviour of the bank employees. Most of the bank employees leave their seats and there seems nobody to inquire why.

Many of the women and men who have lost thumb impression or fingerprints due to age were given a list of documents to complete and further directed to submit a doctor’s certificate that they have no thumb impression or fingerprint which has disappeared due to age or any other factor after which their pension amount will be released or their accounts will continue to be locked.

This practice has recently been launched to protect duplication and those who have expired but the alive aged pensioners said that when they are alive and the bank employees can verify them from their photo affixed on their CNIC then why medical certificate and other documents? they questioned.

They said they were punished for negligence of others in this age for their own pension which should be shameful for the rulers. They said instead of easing the procedures the Sindh Government bosses are harassing them for corruption of others for which they should be taken to task as nowhere in the world such tactics and treatment is meted out with pensioners. They have demanded that monthly pension payment procedures be made easy so that they should not suffer in the hot weather and at the hands of bank employees.