ISLAMABAD: The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) has declared the dismissal of a woman employee during her maternity leave as an act of gender discrimination, imposing a fine of Rs1 million on a private company.
The decision was announced by Federal Ombudsperson Fauzia Waqar on the petition filed by Zainab Zehra Awan, who had been terminated while on maternity leave.
Under the FOSPAH order, the company has been directed to pay Rs800,000 to the complainant as compensation and deposit Rs200,000 in the national exchequer. The Ombudsperson also set aside the dismissal order, reinstating Zainab Zehra to her position.
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In her remarks, Fauzia Waqar stated that motherhood must not be treated as a barrier to women’s careers. She emphasized that job protection during maternity is a fundamental right, adding that “safe motherhood is every woman’s basic right.”
