ANNUAL ANNIVERSAY OF
MY PICK POCKETED Rs. 50/-
01 April 2004
Every year in the first week of April I celebrate the anniversary by addressing my this letter to newspapers never published. Yet I keep this exercise as it helps pulling out my heart burning which are dangerous for health. I have more than 35 years service both at home and abroad; half half. I started from Pakistan’s most lucrative income tax department. I have not earned even a single Rupee Haram. Nothing has ever been due against me as I always paid government dues before time. Since my earning is totally Rizq-e-Hilal hence naturally my this exercise as I have read somewhere that according to Islamic teachings those who do not struggle for injustices to them are also criminal. Whatever is mentioned in the paragraph below is just based on my memories where sequence and timings can be a little wrong but not the facts.
Sometime during 199-94 I made occasional shoppings from different Utility Stores in Karachi. Being a so-called educated person I have belief on modern office gadgets like calculators, cash registers. Electronic cash registers receipts I hardly ever counter checked. One day after coming from such a utility stores having nothing to do I do not know why I started reading just for reading purpose the cash receipt of purchases made 30 minutes back. Something struck to my mind. When I concentrated I found grand total was Rs. 50/- higher than the actual. Cost per piece and quantity was all OK. Being an office worker it was not easy to digest it as according to my knowledge when electronic calculators make some mistake due to electric fluctation, technical error etc the errored figures always is 4/6/8 digits while this was merely Rs. 50 which was nothing but a tactful manipulation of calculator. How many cash receitps in the past were having similar excessive miscalculations I could not think of. I immediately rushed to the Utility Store where I was told yes calculation was wrong and I can purchase items worth Rs. 50/- but no cash can be refunded. It was a matter for me of larger concern for the society hence I refused to make purchases and addressed the MD Utility Stores headquarters in Islamabad as well as concerned utility stores. I gave reminders but no response was as usual received. I filed a complaint with Federal Ombudsman explaining the whole thing, apprehending how many innocent people were suffering from this scandal without their knowledge and prayed that this matter be investigated particularly how a calculator can make only a very meaningful excess calculation which may not easily catch eyes.
The Federal Ombudsman accepted the complaint for processing and advised the Utility Stores to submit comments. Utility Stores submitted no complaint from complainant was received. I submitted copies of my complaint as well as postal proof of despatch. I submitted copy of cash receipt.
Came the final decision from Federal Ombudsman that complaint is of a General Nature and it is not job of ombudsman to make investigations in general nature matteres. How was it a general nature matter in the presence of nakedly excess showing cash receipt I could not understand. If job of an ombudsman is not to see seriously that people were tactfully being pickpocketed by access calcuations then what else is job of an ombudsman office which is being maintained on high cost. An ombudsman is to see a bureaucratic administrative wrong and protect the citizens from any injustice arising out of this wrong. Is over charging under a tactful way not an act of mal administration/administrative wrong and injustice to citizens? However ombudsman showing his heart for citizen mentioned in his finding that a copy of his above decision and a copy of complaint be sent to MD utility stores and Secretary Ministry of Commerece. Seeing the country’s ombudsman had not cared to see pick-pocketing Rs. 50 of a citizen (how many others were being affected?) both Secretary Commerce as well as MD Utility naturally ever dammed care even to drop me a line of any sympathey.
My rizq-e-hilal Rs. 50/- are hanging.This is my rizq-e-hilal and I am determined to keep it mind, keep celebrating annual anniversary of my hard earned Rs. 50 and catch the collars of those on the day of judgement whoever are concerned with this matter one way or the other in depriving me from my rizq-e-hilal. If someone wants to hang me for this sin of speaking on my pickpocketed rizq-e-hilal Rs. 50/- he can. I am now old, a chronic diabetic and I think on bonus life.