Pensions increased by 7per cent

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has approved a 7% increase in the net pension of all provincial government pensioners, ARY News reported on Thursday, citing an official notification. 

The notification states that the increase will apply to all eligible provincial government pensioners and will be calculated on the basis of the net pension being drawn as of June 30, 2026.

The revised pension will take effect from July 1, 2026. Pensioners retiring on or after that date will also be entitled to the increase under the prescribed rules.

The 7% increase will also apply to family pension and compassionate allowance cases. However, the notification clarifies that the increase will not be applicable to any special additional pension.

Eligible pensioners residing abroad will also receive the benefit, subject to the applicable terms and conditions.

Meanwhile, the government of Punjab has made a significant decision for pensioners by reinstating lifetime pension benefits for the widows and unmarried daughters of deceased government employees, reversing an earlier policy that had limited the payments to 10 years.

The decision was taken during a recent Punjab cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Under the previous policy, after the death of a government employee, the pensioners, the deceased’s widows and unmarried daughters were entitled to receive a family pension for a maximum period of 10 years.

However, the latest amendment removes that restriction, allowing eligible beneficiaries to receive the pension for life.

Under the amended regulations, widows and unmarried daughters will remain entitled to the pension throughout their lifetime. However, a widow’s pension will cease immediately if she remarries.

The notification also states that if a deceased government employee leaves behind more than one widow, the total pension amount will be divided equally among them.