SRINAGAR: All J&K Pensioners Welfare Association (AJKPWA) on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration at Pres Enclave here against the government over non-payment of their third installment of the arrears under 6th pay commission due from April last year.
Speaking on the occasion, AJKPWA’s Provincial president, Raja Mohammad Amin said that the withholding of the arrears by the government “clearly shows its non-seriousness towards pensioners and senior citizens.”
“Government has victimized the pensioners for last three to four years for no reason,” Amin said, adding “We all unanimously condemn the policy of government towards its pensioners.”
Amin said that the third installment of the sixth pay commission arrears were due to be paid in April 2013 but are still withheld despite the order from the state government.
“The state government made statement on the floor of Assembly on February 28 that arrears due to pensioners have been released. But where are the arrears? When we go to the banks they say they don’t have money to pay,” he added.
The protesting pensioners said that Director General Accounts and Treasuries had written a letter to chairman J&K Bank regarding the release of arrears to the pensioners on February 28, 2014.
“But the payments are not released due to non-availability of funds,” they said.
“We are forced to go home with empty hands as J&K Bank has categorically denied the release of the third installments,” he said.

Reader correspondent