ZULFIQAR AHMAD

ISLAMABAD: In a hugely embarrassing gaffe, former Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani was left red-faced in the Senate on Wednesday after he was reminded that his party government transferred funds of Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) seven times during its tenure from 2008 to 2013.

Speaking on a calling attention notice, Rabbani lambasted the government for transferring the EOBI funds to Pakistan Bailta-ul-Mal (PBM) and Climate Change Ministry, saying shifting such a huge amount meant for the pension of poor workers, is a criminal breach of trust by the federal government.

He pointed out that EOBI has been devolved to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment, but the government instead of devolving it to the provinces, is busy transferring its funds to other ministries, which is not acceptable.

“We came to know about it after the federal government accepted transferring EOBI funds to PBM and Climate Change Ministry, before the Supreme Court…the secretary finance promised the apex court to bring back the amount, and we want to know the status,” he added. He said that the federal government in defiance of the 18th Amendment and the Implementation Commission formed under clause 9 of Article 270AA of the Constitution continues to retain EOBI while denying provinces their rights.

Rabbani further said that an amount of approximately Rs2.4 billion has illegally been transferred to PBM, while Rs1.1 billion were given to Ministry for Climate Change, despite the fact that EOBI essentially caters to the welfare of workers and pays them a pension at a rate of Rs5250 per month.

“This callous attitude of the federal government of denying the workers their monthly pension reflects the policy of the government to give protection and announce amnesty schemes for big business while depriving the working class of their meagre pension,” he lamented.

Rabbani, who is known for taking stand against illegal decisions of his party government, was left with no option but to stay quite after State Minister for Finance Rana Afzal said that transfer of EOBI funds to these two institutions is nothing new as it had been done for eight times in the past as well.

“The EOBI funds were first transferred to some other institution back in 2005, and then it was repeated for seven consecutive times in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012– the time when PPP was in power,” he added.

On the request of former Information Minister Senator Perevaiz Rasheed, the minister repeated the years during which the EOBI funds were transferred to other departments/ministries.

The minister said that the government had brought back about 95 percent EOBI funds, and the remaining amount will be transferred back to the EOBI soon. He said that the government had done nothing wrong like past governments as they had purchased properties worth Rs43 billion, adding a case against PTI leader Aleem Khan involving Rs10 billion is also under litigation.