ISLAMABAD: The Governor of Punjab and the Chief Minister Punjab have been approached with a request to immediately appoint the Women Ombudsperson, as the Office of the Women Ombudsperson Punjab mandated to address complaints of workplace harassment has remained vacant for a prolonged period.
The continued vacancy of this crucial statutory post has effectively rendered the forum non-functional, leaving victims of workplace harassment across the province without access to the legally prescribed mechanism for redressal.
As per allegations in a specific case, a female employee serving at the Office of the Advocate General Punjab has been compelled to approach the Governor of Punjab and the Chief Minister Punjab after allegedly being subjected to grave workplace harassment by certain officials within the same office.
It has been accused that the situation has been further aggravated as the aggrieved employee has been denied access to the only legally prescribed forum for redressal, the Office of the Women Ombudsperson Punjab due to the prolonged and unexplained vacancy of the statutory post.
When contacted the lawyer Waheed Shahzad Butt who is representing the victim of workplace harassment, pointed out that Section 7(1) of the Act places a mandatory and non-discretionary obligation upon the Government of Punjab to appoint a Women Ombudsperson at the provincial level. The statute clearly uses the word “shall”, which legally obligates the government to ensure that the office remains functional. However, despite the clear statutory requirement, the position has reportedly remained vacant for an extended period for reasons that remain unexplained.
In response to the situation, a detailed formal representation has been submitted through letter M&A/S-OMB/26/-94 to the Governor of Punjab and the Chief Minister Punjab. Copies of the representation were also addressed to the Chief Secretary and the Secretary, Law Department, Government of Punjab. The representation highlighted the mandatory legal obligation of the provincial government to fill the post and drew attention to the serious injustice being faced not only by the complainant but by all working women across the province who rely on the statutory forum for protection against workplace harassment, Waheed added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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