CHITRAL, May 2, 2025: Elderly military pensioners in Chitral have urged top national authorities to end what they describe as a burdensome and humiliating pension verification process in Chitral.
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In an open letter, local activist Iqraruddin Khisraw called on the chief of army staff, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others to intervene.
Retired servicemen, many of whom served in the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps, say Habib Bank Limited (HBL)’s Chitral branch forces them to complete excessive paperwork. Even after appearing in person for biometric verification, bank staff require them to obtain a physical form, have it signed by a Grade-17 officer, and return it to the bank.
“These elderly veterans come to the bank themselves, but HBL still refuses to recognize their presence without an attested form,” they said in a statement. “This policy insults their service and imposes unnecessary hardship.”
They urged the authorities to revise the policy and direct banks to accept biometric verification as sufficient proof of life.—Iqraruddin Khisraw