ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) has ruled that fathers are legally entitled to paternity leave after the birth of a child, stressing that childcare responsibilities are shared and not limited to women.
The decision was issued after a complaint filed by Syed Basit Ali, an OG-1 officer at the Banking Services Corporation, a subsidiary of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Ali said his request for 30 days of paternity leave under Section 4 of the Maternity and Paternity Leave Act, 2023, was rejected on the grounds that SBP policy did not recognise such leave.
Federal Ombudsperson Fauzia Waqar directed SBP BSC to grant the officer 30 days of paternity leave with full salary. She also imposed a fine of Rs0.5 million on the institution, ordering Rs400,000 to be paid to the complainant and Rs100,000 to be deposited in the national exchequer within 30 days.
The ruling declared that denying paternity leave amounts to gender-based harassment, violates equality principles, and undermines the best interests of the child.
FOSPAH further instructed SBP BSC to amend its leave policy to fully comply with the Maternity and Paternity Leave Act, 2023, setting an important precedent for fathers’ workplace rights and shared parental responsibility.