Court Rejects Appeal in Employment Quota Case for Children of Deceased Government Employees

Islamabad: The Federal Constitutional Court has dismissed the appeal of clerk Sumaiya Nazir in a case related to government job quotas for children of employees who die during service. However, the court barred authorities from recovering salaries and benefits she received during her employment.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer argued that the Supreme Court had previously ruled that appointments made before its decision would remain valid. The counsel maintained that his client had been recruited in Punjab before the quota system was abolished, therefore the Supreme Court ruling should not apply to her case.
The Additional Advocate General Punjab informed the court that the Supreme Court’s verdict did not apply to the petitioner’s situation and added that the law allowing employment quotas for children of deceased employees had already been abolished in Punjab.
Justice Baqar Najafi observed that there is currently no legal provision in Punjab for such appointments. Chief Justice Justice Aminuddin Khan also remarked that the Sindh government had abolished the quota system following the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The Chief Justice further stated that the illegal appointments were made by the concerned institutions and the employees themselves were not at fault. He clarified that salaries and benefits received during the period of service could not be recovered from such employees.
The court was informed that the Agriculture Department had terminated clerk Sumaiya Nazir after declaring her appointment under the quota system illegal. Appeals against her dismissal were earlier rejected by the Lahore High Court and later by the Federal Constitutional Court as well.