ISLAMABAD:
The federal government has increased the salaries, judicial allowance and pension-related benefits of Supreme Court judges, with the revised salaries and allowances to take effect retrospectively from December 10, 2025.
President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the summary seeking an increase in the salaries of SC judges at par with those of judges of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). Under the approved summary, the revised salaries and judicial allowance will be payable from December 10 last year, meaning SC judges will receive the increased benefits for the intervening period as well.
According to the summary, the order may be called the “Salary of the Judges of Supreme Court Order, 2026” and “shall be deemed to have taken effect on and from December 10, 2025.”
The summary states that the chief justice of Pakistan will receive a monthly salary of Rs1.55 million, while every other judge of the SC will receive Rs1.5 million per month. The basic salary of a SC judge was earlier above Rs1.1 million and has now been raised to Rs1.5 million.
The government has also increased the judicial allowance payable to SC judges. The summary states that in paragraph 22 of Presidential Order No. 2 of 1997, the amount of Rs1,161,163 has been replaced with Rs1.5 million.
The relevant amendment states: “In the said Order, in paragraph 22, for the words ‘one million one hundred sixty-one thousand one hundred sixty-three’, the words ‘one million five hundred thousand’ shall be substituted.”
The government has also revised the pension-related provisions for Supreme Court judges.
According to the summary, in the Supreme Court Judges (Leave, Pension and Privileges) Order, 1997, the word “seventy” has been replaced with “seventy-five”, while “eighty-five” has been replaced with “ninety” in the relevant provision.
The summary further provides that a SC judge shall be entitled to a monthly medical allowance of Rs150,000. President Zardari has also approved a separate summary for an increase in the salaries of high court judges.
Unlike the SC judges’ increase, which has been given retrospective effect from December 10, 2025, the revised salaries of high court judges will take effect from July 1, 2026.
The summary states that the revised monthly salary of a high court chief justice will be Rs1.254 million, while every other high court judge will receive Rs1.205 million per month. The basic salary of high court judges has consequently increased from Rs1.095 million to Rs1.205 million.
The approved changes also introduce a benefit for high court chief justices who have served in that position for more than two years. According to the summary, such a chief justice will be eligible, upon retirement or elevation to the SC or the FCC, to purchase a vehicle at its depreciated price.
Another provision concerns retired judges who undertake arbitration work on behalf of the federal government. The summary states that where a matter involves extensive work, the law ministry may allow a retired judge to charge fees for conducting arbitration on behalf of the federal government.
