The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment (FOSPAH), Fauzia Waqar, has declared the dismissal of a woman employee during her maternity leave as an act of gender discrimination and imposed a fine of Rs1 million on a private company.

In her verdict on the woman’s complaint, the ombudsperson directed the company to pay Rs800,000 in compensation to the affected employee and deposit Rs200,000 into the national treasury.

The office of the FOSPAH also nullified the woman’s termination order and directed her reinstatement.

The FOSPAH remarked that “motherhood should never become a barrier to a woman’s career,” emphasising that job security during maternity leave is a fundamental right and that every woman deserves a safe and protected maternity experience.