Divorced Daughters Has Right to Father’s Pension, Rules Supreme Court

In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed the Sindh government’s appeal and affirmed that a divorced woman has the legal right to receive her father’s pension.

Justice Ayesha Malik, delivering a detailed 10-page judgment on Wednesday, declared the Sindh government’s 2022 circular discriminatory and “null and void.”

The judge emphasized that the pension is not a favour but a constitutional and legal entitlement transferred to the family members of a government employee. Any delay in its disbursement, she added, amounts to a criminal offence.

The court explicitly stated that linking the pension entitlement of a government employee’s daughter to her marital status violates Articles 9, 14, 25, and 27 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

Justice Malik also lamented Pakistan’s low ranking globally on gender equality, calling it “unfortunate.”

The verdict came in the case of Fatima, whose pension had been reinstated by the Sindh High Court (SHC). The Sindh government had subsequently challenged this decision in the Supreme Court.

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