• October 2, 2022
• General News
• Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has rejected an appeal moved by a now-former director general of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to suspend a punishment of dismissal from civil service handed to him over sexual misconduct and, instead, increased the penalty from Rs2 million to Rs2.5 million.

In November last year, Kashmala Tariq, federal ombudsperson for protection against harassment of women at the workplace, ruled that Haji Adam be fired after the complainant — a female staffer at the electronic media watchdog — was able to prove the accusation, and pay Rs2 million in compensation.

Acting on Tariq’s recommendation, the president held it had been established beyond reasonable doubt that the employee was harassed by Adam with “verbal, vulgar, sexual, and demeaning comments and demands”.

Alvi observed that he took a strong exception and used the full might of the law when matters of sexual misconduct were brought to light and were proven to be true to ensure a safe working environment for the female gender.

This was aimed at unleashing their great economic potential which remained unexploited due to their fear of harassment at the workplace, he said.

The president further ordered that the penalty should be recovered from arrears of pay (if any), pension emoluments or any other source (property) of the appellant as per Section 4(i) (d) of the Protection Against the Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2010 and be given to the complainant as compensation in lieu of the hardships faced by her at the hands of Adam.

“This landmark decision was announced after the president gave personal prolonged hearings to the accused, the complainant and their counsels on July 22 and 25, besides factoring in the evidence and recording the statements of the witnesses on record and minutely perusing the entire proceedings of the case,” a statement from the presidency said.

In his decision, the president noted Adam continued to harass the complainant unabated even during the probe into the matter conducted by Tariq’s office, in his suspension period, by filing applications against the complainant to the chief of Islamabad police and to the director general of cybercrime wing of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), thereby, inflicting mental torture to the complainant and putting her repute at stake.

He said the conduct of the accused was a flagrant violation of the laws of Pakistan, particularly the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2010, and a blatant example of how women were discouraged, even those who come forward “risking their reputation” to file complaints of harassment.

“The statistics with reference to the number of cases are infinitesimal as compared to the anecdotal discussion of the frequency of harassment in our society,” he added.

In his order, the president wrote that women, who were more than 50 percent of our society, were unable to work freely because of possible harassment.

“Public spaces are reduced for them; educational opportunities which is their right have been denied to them by their parents in certain cases because of the fear of harassment at the educational institutions as they look for ‘girls/women only institutions’. As a result, women in our society are mostly undereducated, severely underemployed, financially constrained, denied proper inheritance and discriminated against at the time of promotions,” the president observed.

Alvi said that Islam kept women in high esteem and provided them with the right to pursue gainful occupations and employment by ensuring a safe, secure, dignified and respectful workplace environment.

He said that due to these reasons, Khadija, the first wife of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), was a businesswoman and Caliph Umar appointed Al-Shifa’ bint Abdullah as the custodian of the market who was entrusted with the portfolio of the accountability court and market administration.

The president further noted that Umm Kulthum bint Ali was sent on a diplomatic mission to the court of the Queen of Rome and many women took part in battles who protected the prophet, treated the wounded soldiers and provided them logistic support and served water and food.

The president also quoted a recent judgment of the Supreme Court in a case of harassment which noted: “It is time to pave the way towards the actualization of robust and unwavering constitutional ideals and values by embracing the participation of women in all spheres of life with honour and dignity.”

“No nation can rise to the height of glory”, in the words of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the founder, “unless your women are side by side with you. We are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.”

Source:  Pakistan Today