Article-282 [ Regarding Details of the Supreme Court Judgments Details of the Supreme Court Judgments] 1. Judgment Dated 15 February 2018 • Court: Supreme Court of Pakistan (Bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed). • Case: Multiple petitions including Criminal Original Petition No. 53/2015 and connected matters regarding PTCL pensioners. • Key Ruling: The Supreme Court granted Government Pension along with periodic increases to 342 normally retired PTCL pensioners who had attained the age of 60 years. • Important Points: • These pensioners belonged to various grades — from Grade 1 to Grade 15 and above. • Some were recruited through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) examination, while others joined through different recruitment channels prevailing at the time of transfer from the T&T Department. • The Court made no distinction based on grade or method of recruitment. • Only Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) optees were generally excluded; all normally retired pensioners at age 60 were held entitled. • PTCL/PTET were directed to make immediate payments. Notably, after this judgment, PTET/GMPTE itself issued individual letters to all 342 pensioners across all grades, clearly stating the amount of government pension and arrears payable. At that time, no objection was raised regarding their status as “workmen”. This judgment was a major milestone that firmly recognized the pension rights of PTCL pensioners transferred from the T&T Department. 2. Landmark Judgment Dated 10 July 2025 • Court: Supreme Court of Pakistan (3-member bench headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, including Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan and Justice Ayesha A. Malik). • Decision: 2:1 Majority (Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan in favour; Justice Ayesha Malik dissenting). • Case: Over 200 appeals and petitions concerning pension rights of employees transferred from the defunct T&T Department to Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation (PTC) and later to PTCL. Key Rulings and Observations: • Employees transferred from T&T do not remain civil servants in the strict sense, but their pensionary rights are fully protected. • These rights are not frozen/static at the time of transfer but are dynamic and evolving — they must remain at par with benefits given to similarly placed government servants. • The Court referred to Section 9 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Act, 1991 and Section 36 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996. • PTCL and PTET were declared bound to provide full government pension benefits and were directed to prepare and implement a payment schedule within 90 days. • Financial constraints could not be used as an excuse to deny payments. • The narrow interpretation attempting to label most transferred employees as “workmen” to deprive them of benefits was rejected by the Court. Note: PTCL had filed a review petition against this judgment, which was dismissed. PTCL/PTET were also directed to verify data of eligible pensioners. Summary In both judgments (2018 and 2025), the Supreme Court has clearly upheld the right of normally retired PTCL pensioners (excluding VSS cases where specified) to receive Government Pension and its increases. The 2018 judgment covered 342 cases across all grades, while the 2025 judgment further strengthened and widened these rights, making PTET/PTCL fully bound to implement them without discrimination. The current stand of PTET — restricting benefits only to a handful of pre-01 January 1991 Grade-17 FPSC inductees and labeling all others as “workmen” — is widely viewed as being against the letter and spirit of these Supreme Court verdicts. If you need more details, specific paragraphs from the judgments, or any other clarification, please let me know.

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Details of the Supreme Court Judgments

1. Judgment Dated 15 February 2018

• Court: Supreme Court of Pakistan (Bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed).

• Case: Multiple petitions including Criminal Original Petition No. 53/2015 and connected matters regarding PTCL pensioners.

• Key Ruling: The Supreme Court granted Government Pension along with periodic increases to 342 normally retired PTCL pensioners who had attained the age of 60 years.

• Important Points:

• These pensioners belonged to various grades — from Grade 1 to Grade 15 and above.

• Some were recruited through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) examination, while others joined through different recruitment channels prevailing at the time of transfer from the T&T Department.

• The Court made no distinction based on grade or method of recruitment.

• Only Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) optees were generally excluded; all normally retired pensioners at age 60 were held entitled.

• PTCL/PTET were directed to make immediate payments.
Notably, after this judgment, PTET/GMPTE itself issued individual letters to all 342 pensioners across all grades, clearly stating the amount of government pension and arrears payable. At that time, no objection was raised regarding their status as “workmen”.

This judgment was a major milestone that firmly recognized the pension rights of PTCL pensioners transferred from the T&T Department.

2. Landmark Judgment Dated 10 July 2025

• Court: Supreme Court of Pakistan (3-member bench headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, including Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan and Justice Ayesha A. Malik).

• Decision: 2:1 Majority (Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan in favour; Justice Ayesha Malik dissenting).

• Case: Over 200 appeals and petitions concerning pension rights of employees transferred from the defunct T&T Department to Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation (PTC) and later to PTCL.

Key Rulings and Observations:

• Employees transferred from T&T do not remain civil servants in the strict sense, but their pensionary rights are fully protected.

• These rights are not frozen/static at the time of transfer but are dynamic and evolving — they must remain at par with benefits given to similarly placed government servants.

• The Court referred to Section 9 of the Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Act, 1991 and Section 36 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, 1996.

• PTCL and PTET were declared bound to provide full government pension benefits and were directed to prepare and implement a payment schedule within 90 days.

• Financial constraints could not be used as an excuse to deny payments.

• The narrow interpretation attempting to label most transferred employees as “workmen” to deprive them of benefits was rejected by the Court.

Note: PTCL had filed a review petition against this judgment, which was dismissed. PTCL/PTET were also directed to verify data of eligible pensioners.

Summary

In both judgments (2018 and 2025), the Supreme Court has clearly upheld the right of normally retired PTCL pensioners (excluding VSS cases where specified) to receive Government Pension and its increases. The 2018 judgment covered 342 cases across all grades, while the 2025 judgment further strengthened and widened these rights, making PTET/PTCL fully bound to implement them without discrimination.

The current stand of PTET — restricting benefits only to a handful of pre-01 January 1991 Grade-17 FPSC inductees and labeling all others as “workmen” — is widely viewed as being against the letter and spirit of these Supreme Court verdicts.

Regards

[Tariq]

 Date 02-05-2026