Article--270[Regarding Role of Pakistan Telecommunication Employees Trust (PTET)]

*Article-270[Regarding Role of Pakistan Telecommunication Employees Trust (PTET)] The Pakistan Telecommunication Employees Trust (PTET) is a statutory body established on 1st January 1996 under the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996. Its primary purpose is to manage and disburse pension and pensionary benefits to the retired employees of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), particularly those transferred from the erstwhile Telegraph & Telephone (T&T) Department to Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation (PTC) and subsequently to PTCL. Legal Basis and Establishment PTET was created as part of the administrative mechanism during the reorganization and privatization process of the telecommunication sector. The law explicitly aimed to protect the service and pension rights of transferred employees. Sections 9 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Act, 1991, and Section 36 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996, safeguard the continuation of pensionary entitlements. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that PTET was intended to facilitate, not frustrate, these guaranteed rights. PTET is managed by a Board of Trustees consisting of six members: three appointed by PTCL and three by the Federal Government (Ministry of IT & Telecommunication). Core Functions and Responsibilities • Pension Disbursement: PTET is responsible for the actual payment of monthly pensions and other retirement benefits to eligible PTCL pensioners, including those who were originally T&T/PTC employees. • Fund Management: It maintains and administers the pension fund. PTCL contributes to the fund as per its liability, and PTET uses these funds to make timely and transparent payments. • Calculation of Contributions: After verification of pensioners’ data by PTCL, PTET calculates the required contribution from PTCL to meet the pension obligations, especially for revised or enhanced pensionary benefits. • Implementation of Court Directives: The Supreme Court has clarified that PTET, along with PTCL, is duty-bound to ensure the full measure of pensionary entitlements is met. These benefits are dynamic and evolving rights, not static or frozen at the time of transfer. Supreme Court’s Observations on PTET (Especially 2025 Judgment) In the landmark majority judgment dated 10 July 2025 (2-1 verdict by a bench headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, with Justice Aminuddin Khan concurring), the Supreme Court explicitly stated: ““The administrative mechanism created under the PTCL Act, including the establishment of PTET, was intended to facilitate, not frustrate, this guarantee. PTCL and PTET are duty-bound to ensure that the full measure of these entitlements is met, and any interpretation that reduces these rights to static or discretionary payments is contrary to the legislative mandate.” The Court further directed that PTCL, through PTET, should determine a feasible disbursement schedule for revised pensionary payments within 90 days, ensuring the process remains transparent and equitable. The majority rejected financial constraints raised by PTCL and PTET as a ground to deny or delay these rights. Criticism and Ground Reality Despite its statutory mandate to facilitate pension payments, PTET has often been accused by pensioners of acting in an adversarial manner. Reports indicate delays in implementing pension increases (sometimes since 2010), partial compliance, and prolonged litigation alongside PTCL. Many transferred employees and pensioners feel that PTET, instead of smoothly disbursing benefits, has contributed to the “master and servant” approach by raising technical objections and slowing down the verification and payment process. In practice: • PTCL verifies data → Shares with PTET → PTET calculates contribution and disburses. • This dual structure has sometimes led to blame-shifting and further delays, causing hardship to elderly pensioners. Conclusion PTET was legally created to protect and smoothly deliver the vested pension rights of transferred T&T/PTC employees as a trust mechanism. The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that both PTCL and PTET share a joint obligation to honour these dynamic rights in full, without reducing them to discretionary payments. However, the persistent delays and litigation over more than 12 years suggest that PTET, in coordination with PTCL management, has not always acted in the true spirit of the law and the apex court’s directives. The Trust must shift from an obstructive role to a facilitative one, ensuring timely, transparent, and full disbursement of rightful pensions — as repeatedly mandated by the highest court of the land. Pension is a hard-earned, constitutionally protected right, not a favour. PTET must fulfil its statutory duty without further resistance or delay. Regards Tariq Date:27-04-2026