ISLAMABAD:The Committee on Gender Mainstreaming reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to ensuring that protections against workplace harassment are not narrowed or diluted and supported the Government’s review petition to safeguard the intent of the law.
The Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming of the National Assembly of Pakistan met today at Parliament House under the chairpersonship of Dr. Nafisa Shah, MNA. The Committee conducted a comprehensive review of workplace harassment protections following the recent Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) judgment in Usman Shahid v. Nadia Sarwar and Connected Appeal (C.P.L.A. Nos. 1011 and 1113 of 2025), while also evaluating gender-disaggregated implementation under the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) and institutional performance of the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection against Harassment (FOSPAH).
During the meeting, the Attorney General for Pakistan, Mr. Mansoor Usman Awan, provided a detailed legal briefing on the grounds for the review petition filed by the Federal Government. The Attorney General observed that the judgment suffered from a serious material omission regarding legislative developments, noting:
‘Apparently, the court was either not properly assisted or the law had gone through changes that were not brought to its notice.’ He further stated:
‘Because that judgment was given by the Supreme Court at that time, I think we can make a request to the court to actually approve the view taken in that judgment while reviewing this matter.’
Reinforcing these legal observations, the Chairperson of FOSPAH, Ms. Fauzia Viqar, highlighted the operational impact of restricting statutory definitions. She emphasized:
‘In 2022, a clear amendment was made to the law under which gender-based discrimination was made part of the definition of harassment, whether or not sexual in nature. Having expressly stated this definition, the restrictive interpretation becomes problematic.’She further remarked:
‘Requiring harassment to strictly show sexual intent is against not only the spirit but the letter of the amended law.’
Chairperson Dr. Nafisa Shah said it appears that the judgment departs significantly from both the legislative intent of Parliament and the evolving jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The Committee further observed that the judgment appears inconsistent with the principles established in Nadia Naz v. President of Pakistan (PLD 2023 SC 588) and subsequent rulings, which recognize workplace harassment as rooted in power imbalances and gender-based domination rather than solely sexual conduct. Members also expressed concern that requiring independent third-party corroboration risks importing criminal-law standards into a civil remedial framework. Given that harassment frequently occurs in private or digital settings, such requirements could discourage reporting and undermine constitutional guarantees of equality and dignity under Articles 25 and 14.
Receiving a briefing from the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection against Harassment (FOSPAH), the Committee reviewed case disposal performance. Since its inception in 2010, FOSPAH has received 7,095 total complaints, disposing of 6,944 cases to achieve a 98% resolution rate. In 2025, FOSPAH resolved 1,288 out of 1,290 received complaints (including 273 from Federal entities, 703 from Punjab, 156 from Sindh, and 123 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). The Committee appreciated FOSPAH’s efficiency while stressing the need for robust safeguards against retaliation for complainants and witnesses.
Examining the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) brief across its 4Es Framework (Education, Employment, Engagement, and Environment), the Committee appreciated the scheme’s overall progress. Highlighting the programme’s core direction, Ms. Amna Batool, MNA and Youth Focal Person for the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, stated: ‘Our core objective has moved beyond just setting baseline quotas to genuinely bridging the gender digital divide and empowering young women across all provinces.’ She further noted: ‘With our sustained efforts, female participation under the PM Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme has grown to 21%, disbursing PKR 37 billion to 121,034 women across Pakistan, while female enrollment in skills training has climbed to 46%, surpassing the 33% quota.’Between January 2023 and September 2026, PKR 37 billion was disbursed to 121,034 female entrepreneurs under the PM Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme, bringing women’s loan share to 21% in FY 2025-26, supported by an exceptio
nally low non-performing loan (NPL) rate of 0.7%. Under the NAVTTC Skills Development Programme, female participation reached 46% in 2026 (35,201 trainees), surpassing the 33% quota, while 500 women received specialized technical training under the ‘She Fixes’ pilot. Additionally, female students secured 58.5% of merit-based laptops under Phase-IV (55,728 awarded), comprised 54% of Digital Youth Hub users (310,300 women), represented 48% of PEEF scholarship awardees (5,469 beneficiaries), and engaged 67,054 female athletes across 10 sports.
The Committee recommended that the Federal Government and Law Division vigorously pursue the review petition in Usman Shahid v. Nadia Sarwar (C.P.L.A. Nos. 1011 and 1113 of 2025) to defend parliamentary legislative intent, Section 2(h)(ii) non-sexual harassment protections, and civil standards of proof.
The Committee recommended that the State Bank of Pakistan and commercial banks set a minimum benchmark of 33% for female participation in PM Youth and agricultural loans, recognizing women’s creditworthiness and repayment discipline.
The Committee recommended the active engagement of Rural Support Organisations (RSOs), such as NRSP and provincial RSOs, for Tier-1 micro-finance loan distribution (interest-free loans up to PKR 0.5 million) to ensure micro-credit effectively reaches marginalized rural women at the grassroots level.
The Committee recommended launching comprehensive multi-lingual awareness campaigns and organizing parliamentary orientation sessions for MNAs and MPAs to increase the programme’s visibility and impact across remote districts.
The Committee recommended expediting the legislative enactment of the Federal Adolescent and Youth Development Agency (FAYDA) Bill to institutionalize PMYP into a statutory body, alongside establishing a consolidated district-wise gender dashboard.
The Committee also approved the minutes of its previous meeting.
The committee appointed a four member sub-committee under the convenorship of Senator Rubina Qaim Khani ‘to review the existing Family and Inheritance laws and to suggest amendments therein to the extent of Islamabad Capital Territory.
(i)Dowry and Bridal gifts (restriction) Act, 1976.
(ii)West Pakistan Family Court Act, 1964.
(iii)Muslim Marriage Act, 1939.
(iv)Guardian and Ward Act, 1890.’
The following MNA’s/Senators namely Ms. Shaista Pervaiz, Ms. Shahida Rehmani, Senator Rubina Qaim Khani and Senator Khalida Ateeb besides the officials of the concerned Department attended the meeting.