The Presidency has upheld the dismissal of a former vice chancellor despite finding that the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Fospah) had mischaracterised the dispute as a case of workplace sexual harassment.
In a detailed order, the President’s Office said the matter appeared to be a personal dispute between the two parties and criticised Fospah for failing to properly frame the issues, establish the chronology of events and address contradictions in the former vice chancellor’s testimony.
The Presidency also rejected Fospah’s reliance on a Supreme Court precedent, saying no factual similarities had been established. It observed that the relationship between the parties appeared, prima facie, to have been mutual and consensual over several years.
However, the Presidency upheld the dismissal on separate grounds, noting that the former vice chancellor had terminated the services of a female subordinate a day after she registered an FIR against him. It held that the action contributed to a hostile work environment and amounted to gender-based harassment.
The order further said the dispute over whether the two parties had contracted a verbal nikah was a matter for family courts rather than workplace tribunals.
The Presidency also upheld Fospah’s finding that allegations involving Rs27.44 million allegedly obtained through fraud lacked sufficient documentary evidence.
While rejecting Fospah’s specific findings regarding sexual harassment, the Presidency concluded that the penalty of removal from service was justified and therefore upheld the former vice chancellor’s dismissal.
