Leave Preparatory to Retirement

Leave Preparatory to Retirement (LPR) or 'Post Retirement Leave' is a privilege allowed to a public servant. Under the provision of section 7 of Public Servants (Retirement) Act of 1974, it was mandatory for a public servant to retire from service on completion of the fifty-seventh year of his age, unless retired earlier compulsorily or otherwise by the government. By inserting section 4A in the Act the provisions of retirement of a public servant on the completion of fifty seventh year of his age has been extended to fifty ninth year of age of a freedom fighter public servant from the year 2010 by Act No 5 of 2010. Similarly by Act No 2 of 2012 age of retirement of all public servants, irrespective of whether they are freedom fighters or not, has been extended to fifty ninth year of age of a public servant from 2012. The Act provides that a public servant retiring from the service is entitled to LPR normally for an additional year beyond the date on which he completes the fifty-seventh year, at present fifty ninth year of his age. However, the period of such leave may extend beyond one year after LPR, i.e beyond the completion of the fifty-ninth year of age. His retirement finally takes effect on the expiry of LPR. [AMM Shawkat Ali]