Islamabad, July 3, 2025: In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that married government employees, especially women civil servants, can change their domicile after marriage without affecting their promotion rights under provincial quotas.
The decision came after a petition by Dr. Shumaila Naeem, a gold medallist medical officer from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who legally adopted her husband’s Balochistan domicile. Despite topping the FPSC written test for Associate Professor (BPS-19) at PIMS Islamabad, she was denied an interview based on her previous domicile.
The Islamabad High Court had ruled in her favor, but the FPSC challenged the decision. A two-member bench, led by Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, dismissed FPSC’s objections and upheld her right to be considered under her new domicile.
The court clarified that married women in public service can lawfully retain their original domicile or adopt their husband’s, and doing so will not affect quota eligibility. The FPSC has been ordered to reconsider Dr. Naeem’s appointment within two weeks.
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“This ruling is a game-changer,” Dr. Naeem said, noting that it will help female government officers live and work with their spouses in the same province without fear of losing career opportunities.
