For more than three years, the retired employees of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP)- the country’s premier state-run news agency – have been waiting in vain for the revision of their pensions, despite clear approvals by parliament after formal announcements by the federal government.
The government had announced successive pension increases; 17.5 per cent in 2023, 15 per cent in 2024, and 7 per cent in 2025. Yet, these reliefs have not reached APP pensioners. The approvals remain trapped somewhere between bureaucratic apathy and administrative neglect.
In sharp contrast, during the same period, parliamentarians, ministers, judges, and senior bureaucrats have all received substantial upward revisions in their salaries, benefits, and privileges. This glaring disparity exposes the widening divide between the powerful and the powerless – between those who serve themselves and those who once served the state with loyalty and dedication.
Unlike these influential groups- many of whom enjoy multiple sources of income and generous perks, APP retirees depend entirely on their modest pensions. For them, the pension is not a supplement; it is their only lifeline. And with inflation eroding purchasing power and the rupee steadily losing value, their hardship has only deepened.
Over the past few years, the retired APP staff have repeatedly approached the concerned authorities- the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Finance Division, and the APP management-only to be sent from one office to another in a painful bureaucratic loop. The phrase “running from pillar to post” captures their ordeal all too well.
This neglect is more than just an administrative lapse, it is a moral failure. The people who spent decades building and defending the credibility of Pakistan’s official news service now find themselves abandoned in old age, pleading for the rightful dues already sanctioned in law and principle.
The government must act decisively and compassionately. Restoring these long-overdue pension increases is not an act of charity, it is a matter of justice and dignity. APP pensioners deserve more than sympathy, they deserve respect, fairness, and relief that is rightfully theirs.
A society is judged not by how it rewards the powerful, but by how it treats those who have already given it their best years. It is time the state remembers its own storytellers- before their stories fade into silence.
Naeem Akhtar plays a key role in shaping editorial content and maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and clarity. His dedication ensures that PNP’s coverage remains timely, reliable, and impactful for its readers worldwide.
