The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued a landmark verdict affirming that pension entitlement for government employees is a constitutional and legal right that cannot be revoked due to resignation or delayed application, the court clarified in a judgment on January 17, 2026. A three-member bench comprising Justices Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb overturned a Federal Service Tribunal decision that had denied pension benefits to Muhammad Usman. U
sman, a senior auditor (BS-11) in the Military Accountant General’s office in Rawalpindi, had served more than 20 years, meeting the qualifying service requirement under the Civil Servants Act amended in 2001, which reduced the pension threshold from 25 to 20 years. Despite fulfilling this criterion, his pension claim was previously rejected on the grounds of delayed submission and resignation.
The Supreme Court ruled that the right to pension arises immediately upon retirement or acceptance of resignation, and that limitation and laches doctrines do not apply to pension claims. It also clarified that Civil Service Regulation (CSR) 418 relates only to service calculation and cannot justify forfeiture of pension. The court converted Usman’s petition into an appeal, directing authorities to grant him full pensionary benefits. Legal analysts believe this verdict may set a significant precedent for similar pension disputes nationwide.