Denial of paternity leave amounts to harassment at workplace: Ombudperson

The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) issued a strict order requiring compliance with gender equality rules when addressing employees' basic rights at the workplace

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Feb, 2026) The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) issued a strict order requiring compliance with gender equality rules when addressing employees' basic rights at the workplace.

According to a press release issued here on Monday, the Federal Ombudsperson has held a bank accountable for gender-based discrimination after it unlawfully denied paternity leave to a male employee, despite granting maternity leave to female employees under the same federal law.

In a strongly worded final order, the Ombudsperson declared that denial of paternity leave amounts to harassment in the form of gender-based discrimination under the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010. The complaint was filed by an officer of SBP Banking Services Corporation whose request for 30 days’ paternity leave under the Maternity and Paternity Leave Act, 2023 was refused on the plea of “policy non-existence,” even though the law was already in force.

The order categorically rejected the long-standing claim of institutional autonomy used to deny statutory rights. After examining the State Bank of Pakistan Act, 1956, the SBP Banking Services Corporation Ordinance, 2001, the Rules of Business, 1973, and SBP’s own pleadings before the Lahore High Court, the Forum held that State Bank of Pakistan is owned, controlled, and supervised by the Federal Government, and that SBP Banking Services Corporation, as its wholly owned subsidiary, cannot escape the application of federal welfare legislation.

The Ombudsperson ruled that selective implementation of the Maternity and Paternity Leave Act, 2023 (granting maternity leave while denying paternity leave) reinforces outdated gender stereotypes and violates Articles 25, 27, 37 and the constitutional vision of equality, dignity, and family protection. The order emphasized that caregiving is not the exclusive responsibility of women, and that denial of paternity leave undermines shared parental responsibility, maternal health, and the best interests of the child.

Holding the discrimination to be admitted and undisputed, the Forum imposed a major penalty on SBP, directing it to pay a fine of Rs. 500,000, out of which Rs. 400,000 is to be paid to the complainant as compensation, while Rs. 100,000 is to be deposited into the government exchequer. SBP has further been directed to grant the complainant 30 days’ paternity leave on full pay and to amend its leave policy to fully align with the Maternity and Paternity Leave Act, 2023.

The decision sends a clear and uncompromising message: statutory rights cannot be overridden by internal policies, and gender equality at the workplace is not optional. Federal institutions, including powerful statutory bodies, are bound by constitutional guarantees and welfare legislation, and any deviation that results in discrimination will invite strict legal consequences.