Committee instructs State Bank to issue fresh guidelines, obtain dress code policies from all banks, and establish a uniform customer complaint redressal mechanism

Islamabad (Izhar Khan Niazi): The Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to develop and implement uniform Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all banks, while making it clear that no female employee can be compelled to wear an abaya or any other specific form of attire.

The Committee emphasized that its recommendations relate only to maintaining a decent and professional dress code and should not be interpreted as requiring employees to wear any particular type of clothing.

The directives were issued during a meeting held at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwalla. The Committee reviewed a range of issues affecting banking customers, including difficulties faced by Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), banking procedures, service charges, taxes imposed through electricity bills, and complaints regarding workplace dress code policies.

The Committee instructed the State Bank of Pakistan to introduce standardized SOPs across the banking sector, obtain the human resources dress code policies of all commercial banks, and issue updated regulatory guidelines to ensure that no employee is subjected to unnecessary requirements to wear a specific type of clothing.

The Committee also stressed the need for an effective and standardized mechanism for the timely resolution of customer complaints across the banking sector, with the aim of improving service quality and ensuring consistent practices among all banks.