LHC Rawalpindi Bench orders family pensions restored for Punjab daughters
The Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench has declared unconstitutional a Punjab decision to end family pensions for widowed, divorced and unmarried daughters. It ordered payments to all affected women.
- The court annulled the 2024 Punjab change limiting family pension to widows
- Payments ordered for all affected widowed, divorced and unmarried daughters
- Daughters of employees in 42 Punjab departments lost their pensions
The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court has declared unconstitutional a Punjab government decision to stop family pensions for widowed, divorced and unmarried daughters of deceased government employees, and has ordered that payments be made to all affected women.
Justice Ahsan Raza Kazmi announced the reserved verdict at the Rawalpindi Bench. Express News reported that the court ordered immediate payment of family pension to divorced, widowed and unmarried daughters.
The petition was filed by an affected woman, Falak Shah, and advocate Tanveer Sohail Shah, a former president of the District Bar Association Rawalpindi. According to the petition, the Punjab government changed the rules in 2024. TechJuice reported that the Finance Department issued a notification that year limiting family pension eligibility to widows. Express News described the change as a new provincial family law.
As a result, pensions for daughters of thousands of employees across 42 government departments in Punjab were discontinued, according to the reports.
The petitioners argued that divorced, widowed and unmarried daughters remain entitled to pensions in all other provinces. They also said the notification violated Article 25 of the Constitution. Express News reported that the court said denying family pension to such daughters violates Article 25.
The court rejected the arguments and material presented by the Punjab Finance Department and the assistant advocate general. It annulled the notification and ordered the restoration of family pensions for all eligible daughters in Punjab.
Express News said the ruling is expected to benefit thousands of women who lost family pension. The reports did not say whether the Punjab government plans to challenge the decision.
Why it matters
The ruling affects thousands of women in Punjab who depend on family pensions after the death of a government-employee parent. The court ordered payments to all those who were deprived of them.
