ISLAMABAD – Supreme Court of Pakistan clarifies law on pension entitlement, ruling that being a legal heir alone does not give brothers or sisters the right to claim the pension or post-retirement benefits of a deceased employee.
The apex court held that a deceased employee’s pension is not inheritable asset to be distributed among legal heirs under inheritance laws. Instead, pension is statutory benefit that can only be paid to widow or person lawfully nominated under the relevant service rules.
The court stressed that succession or inheritance rights cannot override legal framework governing pension payments. And so, siblings cannot claim pension benefits merely because they are legal heirs of the deceased.
In 4-page judgment, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi dismissed appeal filed by the siblings of a deceased PESCO employee seeking inheritance rights over the pension and related benefits. Supreme Court upheld the Peshawar High Court’s ruling, reaffirming that pension payments must be made strictly in accordance with applicable laws and institutional regulations.
The verdict is a key precedent in future pension disputes, reinforcing that legal heirship alone is not enough to establish a right to a deceased employee’s pension.
Lifetime Pension restored for widows of deceased Punjab govt employees
