On Tuesday, the National Assembly’s standing committee on law and justice unanimously approved the maternity and paternity leave bill. The bill made rounds on social media when it was passed in the assembly at the beginning of the year by the PPP lawmaker, Shazia Marri, as it proposed relatively more prolonged periods of paid leave for mother and the father. 

The Proposed Bill on the Table

The bill grants employees of public and private organization of the federal capital territory up to 6 months of paid maternity and paternity leave. Once the bill receives the approval from the majority of lawmakers in the National Assembly, it will then be implemented. 

Paid Leave for the First Born 

While the initial version of the bill focused on longer paid paternity leave, the current version says that the mother will be entitled to 6 months of paid leave after the birth of her first child while the father of the child will receive 1 month of paid leave. 

Paid Leave for the Second Born 

On account of the birth of the second child, the mother of the child will receive a 4-month maternity leave (2 months less than the first child) while the father will be entitled to 1-month paternity leave same as on the time of the first child.

Paid Leave for the Third Born 

If the couple decides to have a third child, the paid leave is relatively less for the mother. The mother will be entitled to 3-months of maternity leave while the father will be entitled to 1-month of paternity leave. 

Initially, the bill proposed 6-months paid leave for the mother and 3-months paid leave for the father. PTI government has opposed the bill, and they firmly believe that such lengthy maternity leave is unnecessary, and neither is it practised worldwide. It is notable to mention that 90 days of maternity leave has been already permitted under the law. 

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