Sana Khalid 
The Constitutional Court ombudsman pension has ruled that the Federal Ombudsman cannot direct the payment of a pension while overlooking the legal conditions required to qualify. The court accepted an appeal filed by the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) and set aside the Islamabad High Court’s ruling, along with earlier orders of the Federal Ombudsman and the President of Pakistan.
Constitutional Court Ombudsman Pension Ruling Clarifies the Law
The 12-page judgment, authored by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, held that rejecting a pension application does not automatically amount to maladministration. A disagreement over legal eligibility cannot be treated as maladministration simply to bring a matter within the ombudsman’s jurisdiction.
Eligibility Rules Applied in the Case
The court noted that pension eligibility generally requires at least 15 years of contributions. The applicant, Javed Iqbal Bhatti, had less than six years of insured employment and did not qualify for the five-year special concession, as his insurance coverage began on 1 July 2008.
The court also clarified that the PKR 48,000 old-age grant already paid to him did not create a right to a pension. The finding shows that the judiciary is protecting the integrity of the contributory system on which all pensioners depend.
Jurisdiction and the Rule of Law
Under the judgment, disputes over EOBI benefit eligibility must follow the procedure set out in the relevant EOBI law; also, this keeps decisions within the proper statutory framework and gives institutions a clear path for resolving claims.
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