Punjab University VC faces harassment charge
Lahore :September 01: The vice chancellor of Punjab University has been engulfed in a case of harassment alleged by a female lecturer of University Law College. The VC did not seem bothered till the news came that the new Governor of Punjab had ordered an inquiry into the allegations by the female lecturer. On Friday, he rushed to the Governor’s House to meet the governor and after the meeting, the Punjab University officials termed it a ‘courtesy call’ by the VC upon the Governor. Mujahid Kamran the VC Punjab University, believed to be in the good books of both, the PML-N and the PPP, is also lobbying to get the post of Chairman Higher Education Commission, despite the fact that his university upon his orders had issued a fake degree to the son of the ex-PMand The News had reported it. Regarding the latest issue, details reveal that a female lecturer of University Law College Lahore, Khujista Rehan, has alleged that the VC has been harassing her since the last many years by initiating false inquiries against her and later asking her for ‘illegitimate’ favours to drop the enquiries, documents reveal. Israr Rana, the spokesman of VC Punjab University,when contacted said that all the allegations levelled by the female lecturer were baseless and an attempt to malign the VC. He said that the easiest thing in theworld is to hurl allegations at someone’s character and the female lecturer has done the same. When asked about the VC’s meeting with the governor, the spokesman said that it was a courtesy call. Regarding the probe ordered by the governor into allegations of harassment by the VC, the spokesman said: “We have not received any letter fromthe Governor’s Secretariat regarding any probe therefore all such things are rumours and have no truth in them.” Meanwhile, the female lecturer of the law college has sent a complaint to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Federal Ombudsman, Federal Minister for Education, Provincial Ombudsman, Governor Punjab, Chief Minister Punjab, Higher Education Commission and Secretary Education Punjab and has attached her letter written to the VC which says: “For the last six years, you have been victimising me endlessly and by the Grace of Allah Almighty every time I have been protected by the ceaseless powers which Allah only holds. ‘During all this time you (VC) on a number of occasions, in person, or verbally, communicated to me that “If you want me to stop all the inquiry letters then you should do whatever I tell you to do, I find it appalling to even mention in detail regarding what you said to me. I had no proof of that communication therefore, I kept silent and faced all the inquires against me, subsequently I went abroad for further studies. “Even if I had the evidence, there was no officially authorised lawwhichmight have been invoked in circumstances which protected any women at workplace facing sexual harassment, career ladies tend to stay muted to avoid nuisance and insult which they might face, if they point out the person harassing them.” The female lecturerwrote that after Women Harassment Bill she has gained power to speak for herself. The VC through the Additional Registrar, replied to the allegations through a letter that states that the female lecturer has a history of maltreating her female colleagues and one female colleague has even registered an FIR against her. The letter further says that the female registrarwent to Australia for higher studies without approval of leave by the university even then the university syndicate approved her leave without pay to encourage higher studies of female teachers. The letter says that in fact the women lecturer went to Australia because she wanted to avoid facing inquiries against her. The news.
