Senate panel urges SBP to stop banks from forcing female staff to wear abayas
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Wednesday asked the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to intervene after lawmakers raised concerns that some Islamic banks were compelling female employees to wear abayas. Members of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance said women should not be forced into adopting a specific religious appearance, arguing that professional dress codes must respect personal freedom.
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The matter was brought forward by Senator Zarqa Suharwardy, who claimed that several Islamic banks had introduced strict abaya requirements for female staff. While the SBP representative present said dress codes varied among banks, committee members pressed the central bank to ensure that institutions adopt a “modest and professional” standard rather than impose religious attire. Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiyani said he would take up the issue directly with the SBP governor.
During the same meeting, lawmakers were briefed on a major anti-tax evasion initiative. FBR Chairman Rashid Langrial revealed plans to install AI-based video analytical cameras across 17 major industrial sectors after uncovering large-scale tax theft, including over Rs30 billion in losses in the tiles and ceramics sector alone. He told the committee that the monitoring system had already begun yielding results, with the sugar and cement sectors expected to generate substantial additional revenues.
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Mr Langrial also recounted resistance from a private Chinese company that sought exemption from camera surveillance in exchange for higher tax payments, a request he rejected as a violation of parliamentary privilege. The AI-camera plan will cover sectors including cement, sugar, tobacco and tiles as part of broader efforts to curb production-related tax evasion.
The committee also reviewed a staggering Rs375 trillion figure cited in an Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) report. AGP representative Tafakhir Ali clarified that the number was the result of a typographical error in the executive summary, later corrected to Rs9 trillion, and said a fact-finding inquiry was underway.
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