Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir – Hundreds of retired municipal employees in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have not received their pensions for the past eight months, leaving many in financial despair amid rising inflation and health issues.
The affected pensioners, many of whom served for over 30 to 35 years in public sanitation and local governance departments, say they now struggle to afford basic necessities, including medical treatment. “I worked as a sanitary worker for over three decades. Today, I can’t even afford my diabetes medication,” said Abdul. G., a retired municipal employee from Muzaffarabad. “This is not the retirement we were promised.”
This crisis emerged after the AJK government announced the integration of salaries and pension payments under the AJK Accountant General’s office. The transition, intended to centralize payments and enhance transparency, has resulted in a complete halt in pension disbursements for many.
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Shamim B., a 62-year-old widow of a former municipal worker, expressed her frustration. “My husband gave his life to public service. Now, I beg neighbors for money to buy groceries. We are being treated like we never existed.”
A delegation of retired employees recently submitted a petition at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in Muzaffarabad, demanding immediate intervention. They have threatened to stage region-wide protests if their pensions are not restored by early July.
According to official records, the AJK government has disbursed PKR 1.087 billion (approx. USD 3.9 million) between July 2021 and November 2024 toward pensions of local government retirees. However, a senior official at the Local Government Board, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted that “administrative delays during the transfer of responsibilities to the AG Office have left hundreds of pension cases pending.”
A new policy finalized this month mandates that all future pensions for municipal retirees be processed directly by the Accountant General’s office, theoretically streamlining future payments. However, implementation has yet to take effect for those already awaiting disbursements.
This pension crisis has reignited long-standing grievances in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where many residents feel caught between bureaucratic inefficiency and political neglect. Local civil society organizations argue that the region’s retired workers—who contributed to the very infrastructure the state depends on—deserve dignity in their later years.
“We are tired of being treated as second-class citizens by both Islamabad and Muzaffarabad,” said Kashmir Pensioners’ Alliance spokesperson Riaz Ahmed. “We served the people for decades—why are we now being punished with silence?”
Activists are urging the AJK leadership and Pakistan’s federal government to ensure timely pensions and establish safeguards to prevent future disruptions. “This is a humanitarian issue, not just a financial one,” said Afsheen Mir, a rights advocate based in Rawalakot. “Pensions are not charity—they are earned rights.”
