A parliamentary committee has asked the State Bank of Pakistan to ensure banks do not require female employees to wear abayas. Lawmakers said women should follow a professional dress code, not a religious look.
The Senate Standing Committee on Finance discussed the dress code of female bank employees on Wednesday. Senator Zarqa Suharwardy raised concerns that some Islamic banks were forcing female staff to wear abayas at work. She said Pakistani women already dress decently and should not be forced to adopt a specific religious look at banks.
The committee, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwala, agreed that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) should intervene. The SBP representative said that dress code rules differ across banks and no standard policy exists.
Senator Farooq Naik called the practice a violation of personal freedom. He compared it to “forcing somebody to grow a beard against their will.” Mandviwala also criticized Islamic banks for charging higher interest rates than conventional banks under the guise of religious financing.
Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiyani said he was unaware of this practice and would discuss it with the SBP governor.
The committee recommended that SBP issue a guideline asking banks to enforce a “modest, professional dress” code instead of requiring a specific religious garment.
