BZU team’s findings in ‘sexual harassment’

MULTAN, July 1: The four-member inquiry committee, which had been asked to probe alleged sexual harassment of two Bahauddin Zakariya University psychology department students by some teachers, has submitted recommendations to the vice-chancellor.

Khwaja Muhammad Alqama, the senior most member of the inquiry committee, told Dawn that the team had submitted its recommendations after probing the allegations from different angles and summoning both parties for their statements. The committee, however, didn’t call the male teacher for inquiry.

Two students of clinical psychology’s third semester were attempting their psychotherapy paper on May 23 when, they said, subject in-charge (a female teacher) summoned them to her office on charges of cheating.

They said afterwards they were humiliated (forced to take off their clothes) and warned against even worse treatment.

The inquiry team comprises Dr GR Pasha, Dr Sikandar Hayat and Sahr Khalil besides Dr Khwaja Alqama.

The complainants alleged that the university administration was trying to protect the teachers, demanding that Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Governor Salman Taseer and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif take stock of the situation and get conducted a fair inquiry.
Source: Dawn
Date:7/2/2008