The Finance and Revenue Committee of the Pakistan Senate has passed a resolution prohibiting the enforcement of mandatory hijab for female employees in Islamic banks.
Pakistani media reports indicate that this decision was made following numerous complaints regarding strict dress code guidelines in some banks, particularly Islamic financial institutions.
The report states that the committee has called for adherence to conventional national attire for all employees, regardless of their gender.
Pakistani senators have emphasized that banks and financial institutions cannot impose the wearing of Arabic hijab or other non-national attire on female employees.
Senator Zarqa Sohrawardi Timor stated that female employees in these banks are compelled to wear Arabic hijab, whereas, according to her, there is no such obligation for male employees, who are free to choose their attire.
Senator Sherry Rehman stressed that no employee should be forced to wear a specific outfit, stating that Pakistan’s national dress, such as shalwar kameez, which former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto also wore, is sufficient for women.
Additionally, Jameel Ahmad, the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, mentioned in the meeting that similar guidelines had been issued and communicated to banks last year.
He committed to sending updated guidelines to all Islamic banks and financial institutions to prevent “unnecessary pressure” on female employees.
The meeting was chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwala, and the Finance and Revenue Committee requested all banks to present their policies regarding women’s attire to the Senate. The committee emphasized that the goal is solely to uphold conventional national dress, with no insistence on any specific clothing.
While Pakistan, as an Islamic country neighboring Afghanistan, prohibits mandatory hijab for employees of Islamic banks, the interim government in Afghanistan continues to detain women for not adhering to its prescribed hijab requirements.
