MIAN SAQIB NISAR, C.J.---Respondent No,1 (the respondent No,1) earlier filed his insurance claim against the petitioner before the learned Civil Court through Civil Suit, which was resisted and the objection taken was that the jurisdiction for determination of such claims only vests with the Insurance Tribunal. Thus, the plaint was returned under Order VII, Rule 10 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 for presentation before the relevant forum. Subsequently, the Insurance Tribunal constituted under section 121 of the Insurance Ordinance, 2000 (the Ordinance of 2000), after conducting trial, granted the insurance claim to the respondent. The petitioner challenged the order of the Tribunal before the learned High Court by means of an appeal which was dismissed through the impugned judgment.
2. Heard. The only objection raised is that as per the provisions of section 171(1) of Ordinance of 2000, by virtue of the fact that the postal insurance business/petitioner is being carried on by the Federal Government and not by a body corporate, the case does not fall within the purview of section 171(2) of the Ordinance, 2000. Suffice it to say that for the purposes of considering as to what is the status of the Management Board of the Postal Life Insurance/petitioner (the Board), reference has been made to section 3 of the Pakistan Postal Services Management Board Ordinance, 2002 (the Ordinance of 2002) and it is clearly mentioned in subsection (2) thereof that the Board shall be a body corporate having perpetual succession and a common seal, with power, subject to the provisions of this Ordinance, to acquire, hold and dispose of its property, both movable and immovable, and shall by its name sue and be sued. The provisions of section 11 of the Ordinance of 2002, prescribes powers and functions of the Board and as provided in subsection (2)
(e) thereof, such powers include "to manage, maintain and operate the Postal Life Insurance throughout Pakistan". Obviously, the Board is a body corporate, therefore, on the basis of its powers to manage, maintain, control and operate the postal insurance business, the case would fall within the purview of section 171(2) of the Ordinance of 2000 and thus, the Insurance Tribunal shall have the jurisdictior to hear and decide the matter.
2. No other point has been agitated. Thus, no case for interference is made out. Dismissed accordingly.