ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has ordered the Federal Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (FOSPAH) to review the alleged sexual harassment case at Air University in Islamabad.
The president said the previous decision made by FOSPAH did not allow both parties an opportunity to be heard or to produce evidence, and as a result, the complaint was rejected in a “slipshod manner”.
The woman complainant alleged that she was harassed by a senior university official in 2019, after reporting on MBBS students using drugs and engaging in immoral activities on campus. FOSPAH rejected her complaint, saying that she had failed to provide evidence and her allegations were of a general nature.
The complainant then appealed to the president, who found that denying the opportunity to produce evidence was a violation of Article 10-A, the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, and the principles of natural justice.
The president has asked for the case to be reviewed by FOSPAH and for both parties to be given a full opportunity to be heard, including the chance to produce evidence. He noted that the allegations made by the complainant were of a serious nature and required appropriate investigation and evidence to reach a fair conclusion.
The president concluded that the ombudsman had relied solely on the contents of the complaint and the statement of a representative of the organisation, without affording the complainant an opportunity to cross-examine or produce evidence.
