University – Pakistan Gender News

November 7, 2018November 8, 2018

Concern over rise in breast cancer cases

KARACHI: Pakistan now has the highest prevalence of breast cancer in young women.This alarming situation requires that a thorough investigation is conducted into the factors causing an increase in the number of breast cancer cases.

This was stated by Prof Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, the director of the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), Karachi University (KU), during his speech on the second day of 14th International Symposium on Natural Product Chemistry organised by the centre.

Sharing some statistics on breast cancer, Prof Choudhary said that the disease was the most common cancer in women worldwide, with nearly 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2014.

“Cases of breast cancer have increased significantly over the past two decades. This is the second most common cancer overall, representing about 12 per cent of all new cancer cases and 25pc of all cancers in women,” he said.

Samman Jamal and Prof Syed Ghulam Musharraf of the HEJ also spoke on the occasion.

Later, participants, including researchers from 35 countries, attended a cultural evening and gala dinner held in their honour.

Dawn

October 10, 2018

SBBU VC, lecturer resign over sexual harassment allegation

NAWABSHAH: Two accused in the sexual harassment case of a girl student, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU) Nawabshah Vice Chancellor (VC) Arshad Saleem and English department head Amir Khattak, tendered their resignations on Tuesday.

Farzana Jamali, a SBBU final-year student, had accused the two of harassment and lodged an FIR against them on Sept 4, 2018, in which the accused had obtained pre-arrest interim bail. Amir Khattak is the main accused in the case.

Addressing the Sindh chief minister in his resignation, the VC said he was under tremendous mental stress and pressure. He was submitting his resignation to facilitate 100 per cent free and fair justice, he added.

According to sources, the latest development in the case, which started 42 days ago, was due to the intervention of an MPA and senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) who met Farzana Jamali and her father at Nawabshah on Monday.

“Justice prevailed at last”, Farzana Jamali told reporters. She was protesting outside Nawabshah Press Club for justice with the support of various political parties, including the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and others.

It was not only her victory, but also of every female student, she said and vowed to continue her education.

Farzana said she went through trauma, her father was sent to jail in a “fake” case and then her brother was arrested in a “fictitious” case of bomb blast.

She demanded of the government for a neutral inquiry in the case of her brother Zuhaib Jamali who was in the custody of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Hyderabad.

Earlier, an enquiry committee was also constituted by the Sindh CM after a series of protests by the victim, her family, political parties and civil society. But the committee headed by Prof Abdul Qadeer gave a clean chit to the VC and the lecturer, concluding that no sexual harassment was proved.

Farzana also accused a senior Sindh minister of supporting the vice chancellor.

Dawn

October 9, 2018

SBBU harassment case: Student rejects Talpur’s offer to send accused on temporary leave

HYDERABAD: Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University’s (SBBU) student Farzana Jamali, who accused her faculty of sexual harassment, has rejected the informal offer of sending the two accused on a temporary suspension. At her hunger strike camp in Benazirabad, Jamali told the media on Monday that her uncle was called for a meeting by Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Faryal Talpur.

“Vice Chancellor [Arshad Saleem Arain] is booked in an FIR of harassment. He shouldn’t be sent on a forced leave. He should be suspended,” she demanded. According to Jamali, a final year student of SBBU’s English department, Talpur offered her uncle that the VC could be sent on a three-month leave.

However, she and her family have rejected the offer. “We conveyed to them that I want justice even if takes a year long struggle,” she said. The student accused her department’s acting chairperson, Aamir Saeed Khattak, and Arain of harassment last month. An FIR was also registered on the basis of her written complaint which was submitted to the police.

Jamali also disapproved of the temporary suspension of Khattak demanding that both of them should be dismissed from service. Workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and other political parties visited the camp and expressed solidarity with the student and her family.

Jamali’s father Aijaz Jamali and brother Zuhaib Jamali, have been booked in two separate FIRs with the latter charged for planting an improvised explosive device. The student says both the cases were registered after she made her complaint of harassment public, and that the cases are meant to pressurise the family to withdraw the case. “Arain is a blue-eyed boy of [provincial health minister] Dr Azra Pechuho. And that’s the reason he is being protected,” she alleged.

The Express Tribune

October 7, 2018October 8, 2018

Student observes hunger strike accused bail in SBBU harassment case

HYDERABAD: The Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU), Benazirabad, student who accused her faculty of sexual harassment last month started a hunger strike along with her supporters on Saturday. Farzana Jamali, a final year student of SBBU’s English department, pitched up the protest camp outside the Nawabshah Press Club, with the local leaders and workers of several parties expressing solidarity with her.

“My family and I are running from pillar to post to get justice but powerful people are protecting the accused while at the same time they are putting pressure on us to withdraw [the case],” she claimed while talking to the media. She said her father and brother were both booked in separate criminal FIRs so that her family would be compelled to not pursue the case.

Jamali, last month, accused her teacher Aamir Saeed Khattak, the acting chairperson of English department, and SBBU Vice Chancellor Arshad Saleem Arain of harassment. The Sindh High Court (SHC) took notice of the matter and an FIR was lodged against the two teachers besides separate inquiries initiated by the provincial government and the SBBU. The cases in the SHC Hyderabad Circuit Bench and Ombudsman are pending hearing.

Political workers Nisar Keerio, Ali Raza Khaskheli, Farooq Chandio and others who joined her at the camp accused Pakistan Peoples Party’s leadership of protecting Khattak and Arain. They alleged that Arain has embezzled millions of rupees in SBBU and demanded that the National Accountability Bureau conduct an investigation of corruption in the university.

Meanwhile, fourth additional sessions judge Suhrab Brohi confirmed the interim bails of Arain and Khattak in Nawabshah on Saturday.

The Express Tribune

The Nation : Court remands four rape suspects to jail

October 5, 2018

Police ordered to submit charge sheet against accused in girl’s harassment case

NAWABSHAH: Judicial magistrate-II on Thursday rejected recommendations of the investigation officer of police for cancellation of Farzana Jamali harassment case and ordered him to submit charge sheet against the accused vice chancellor of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (SBBU) and head of its English department.

The judge, Safdar Ali Jatoi, said in his order that the investigation officer had no power to wind up the process of investigation by cancelling the judicial proceedings. He turned down the IO’s summary and directed him to submit charge sheet against both the accused on or before Oct 10.

Farzana Jamali, a final-year student of the English department, had accused the VC and the lecturer of sexual harassment and lodged an FIR against them on Sept 4. The accused had obtained pre-arrest interim bail in the case.

An enquiry committee was also formed by Sindh chief minister after a series of protests by the student, her family, political parties and civil society but the committee headed by Prof Abdul Qadeer Rajput gave a clean chit to the VC and the lecturer concluding that the charge of sexual harassment was not proved against them.

Ms Jamali rejected the committee’s conclusions at a recently held press conference and said that after she went public with her ordeal, the influential accused had her father Aijaz Jamali arrested and then got his brother implicated in a fake case.

She rejected all police allegations against her father and brother and termed them a part of a conspiracy to force her to drop charges against the accused. She said her family were receiving threats that if they did not withdraw the harassment case, they would have to face consequences.

Dawn