Lahore, April 29 -- Thousands of cases involving workplace harassment and women's inheritance rights have been stalled in Pakistan's Punjab province due to the prolonged absence of a Provincial Ombudsperson, a situation that has persisted for nearly nine months. The position has remained unfilled since May 2025, when the last officeholder's tenure ended, leaving a mounting backlog and many women without timely legal recourse, as reported by The Express Tribune.

According to The Express Tribune, the Ombudsperson's office, established in 2013, has previously been led by figures such as Dr Mira Phailbus, Farukhanda Wasim Afzal, Rukhsana Gilani, and Nabila Hakim Ali Khan. However, the lack of a current appointment has significantly slowed th...