GHULAM MUHAMMAD vs DIRECTORGENERAL, PAKISTAN RANGERS

The petitioner, a former Sub-Inspector of the Pakistan Rangers, sought leave to appeal against a judgment of the Federal Service Tribunal, which had dismissed his application for review of an earlier order. The core legal question before the Supreme Court was whether the Federal Service Tribunal possesses the inherent jurisdiction to review its own final decisions on merits in the absence of an express statutory provision granting such power. Upon review, the Supreme Court found that the petitioner’s counsel failed to cite any provision of law or judicial precedent establishing that the Tribunal has the authority to review its final orders on merits. Consequently, the Court upheld the Tribunal's dismissal of the review application, affirming that the Tribunal acted in accordance with the law. The judgment reinforces the principle that tribunals created by statute are creatures of that statute and possess only such powers as are expressly conferred upon them, meaning they lack inherent review jurisdiction unless explicitly provided by the governing legislation.