Abrar Mattoo
The employees of Jammu and Kashmir WAKF Board, who retired between the years 2022 and 2023, have implored the chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Atal Dulloo to intervene and fullfill their long pending demand of the denied pension by J&K WAKF Board.
Considered, second richest institution in union territory of Jammu and Kashmir following the government, the employees of the WAKF Board who retired between the years 2022 and 2023 have expressed dismay over the denial of retirement pension.
The employees said that the denial of pension to them is an infringement of their rights, and a voilation of the law of the land.
“When Re-organization act was brought into effect in the jurisdiction of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, by virtue of abrogation of Article-370, the Central Wakf Act, 1995 was also extended to Jammu and Kashmir. However, according to the Central Wakf Act, it remains in the discretion of the members and chairperson of Jammu and Kashmir WAKF Board to provide whatever prieveleges that the board deems fit to its employees. Unfortunately, the J&K WAKF Board has shown an appethetic approach towards the employees who retired between the years 2022 and 2023,” an employee of the WAKF Board who had retired in 2023 said
“According to the J&K Reorganization act, 2019, the WAKF Board of Jammu and Kashmir must not disenfranchise it’s employees who have served the board throughout their lifetimes. The board can choose to deal with new employees who are recruited after 2019 on its own terms, but those of us, who were recruited 30, 35, or 40 years ago must be accorded all those previveleges which the terms of our employment dictate. It’s a guarantee given to us by J&K Reorganization Act, 2019 and all the prevailing acts of our country,” another retired employee who is undergoing a treatment for serious disease said.
The retired employees further said that throughout their service, they worked for meagre salaries for the WAKF Board, and upon their retirement, when this small retirement pension could have ensured a support system for them and their families, in their old age, was also denied.
“Many of us are on medicines, and many of us have large families to support and daughters to marry off, the WAKF Board must have thought about it. Right now there are nearly 230 pensioners at WAKF Board. All the retired employees from Waqf Board are getting pension, some them are those who have even retired after the enactment of J&K Reorganization-Act. Out of the 39 employees who retired after the abrogation of 370, nearly 11 (eleven) are getting pension. The rest have been left out and subjected to stepmptherly treatment,” another employee said.
The employees said that due to the non-disbursement of pension, they have reached a state of destitution and are being forced to reach out to others for help and medicines in their old age.
“Therefore, we the retired employees request the chief secretary Shri Atal Dulloo to intervene and help us in our rights, or else, our lives and the lives of our families will continue to suffer,” the employees requested collectively.
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