Lahore High Court Issues Key Pension Ruling for Govt Employees

The Lahore High Court has delivered a significant ruling concerning pension eligibility for government employees, affirming that continuous contract service followed by regularisation qualifies for pension benefits. A two-member bench, presided over by Justice Muzammal Akhtar Shabbir, overruled the Punjab government's appeal and affirmed the pension and other benefits granted to the widow of a deceased government worker.

The court determined that the deceased employee, who joined the Health Department as a contract naib qasid in 2005 and was regularised in 2010, had passed away in 2016. The Punjab government contended that a decade of regular service was mandatory for pension eligibility, arguing that contract service was not eligible. However, the court ruled that the employee's five-year continuous contract service should be included as he later became regular.

The court also cited a Supreme Court judgment, stating that contract service is not eligible unless it is continuous, and found the service to be uninterrupted in this case, ruling in favor of the widow. The court upheld the original decision and dismissed the Punjab government's appeal.