In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has extended a major relief to married women in government service by confirming they can legally change their domicile to match their husband’s — and still remain fully eligible for job promotions and postings under provincial quotas.
The decision came from a two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, and it directly addresses a long-standing issue faced by many married female civil servants. For years, women had to choose between progressing in their careers or staying close to their families due to rigid domicile rules.
The case was sparked by Dr. Shumaila Naeem, a medical officer who originally held a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa domicile. After marrying a Balochistan-based civil servant, she legally updated her domicile to Balochistan and applied for a senior position at PIMS (Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences). Although she topped the FPSC written test, she was dropped at the interview stage because officials considered her original KP domicile.
She challenged this in the Islamabad High Court, which ruled in her favor. However, the FPSC escalated the matter to the Supreme Court. The top court upheld Dr. Naeem’s right, clarifying that married women are free to either retain their original domicile or adopt their spouse’s — without losing career opportunities.
The bench directed the FPSC to reassess Dr. Naeem’s case within two weeks. The judgment is seen as a significant stride toward empowering women in the public sector, especially those trying to balance family and professional life.
