Ordinance for senior citizens finalised

Following the approval from the Cabinet, it would be submitted before the National Assembly and after getting a nod from the National Assembly it would be further laid before the Senate.

Subsequently, the Pakistan Senior Citizens Ordinance 2008 is presented before the President for final approval before implementation, a Ministry official told TheNation.

The official further informed that in past the ministry made three attempts for the approval of the ordinance by previous cabinets but the dream for having special laws for senior citizens never came true.

He strongly advocated that the ordinance is aiming at facilitating the senior citizens.

According to the ordinance, a 60 years or above person would be considered a senior citizen and would be entitled to take advantages and facilities enshrined in the ordinance.

After implementation of the ordinance, a committee to be named as Pakistan Senior Citizens Welfare Council would be established at federal level with its branches in all four provinces.

The idea behind establishing the Council is to conduct research and compile data on various aspects of senior citizens for formulating a policy for their well-being.