SLAMABAD :The Supreme Court SC of Pakistan ruled Monday that a daughter is entitled to succeed her father in a government job, rejecting the argument that marriage disqualifies a woman from such employment.
The decision came in a case involving Zahida Parveen, who was dismissed from her position following her father’s death.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah, heard the case. During the hearing, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) advocate general argued that Parveen was ineligible for the job because she was married. Justice Shah strongly disagreed, questioning, “In which law is it written that if a daughter gets married, she is not eligible for a job after the death of her father?”
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Justice Shah emphasized that a son can succeed his father in a government job even after marriage, and the same principle should apply to a daughter. He stated that marriage has no bearing on a woman’s economic independence. The court ruled in favor of Parveen, declaring her eligible for the job and disposing of the case after accepting her petition.
The KP government’s lawyer argued that Parveen had been removed from her position under a notification issued under the KP Civil Service Act. Justice Shah criticized the move, asking, “How did you first appoint her and then dismiss her? Will a section officer interpret the law on his own?”
The KP advocate general also referenced a ruling by former Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, stating that government jobs should not be given to children on a preferential basis. However, Justice Shah clarified that the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision does not apply to past cases, including this one. The court announced it would issue a detailed ruling addressing the economic independence of women and its relation to job succession laws.
