FIA submits report on sexual harassment charge

Complaint to be forwarded to local police, says FIA director.

MULTAN/ LAHORE:

The Federal Investigation Agency has finalised its inquiry into a sexual harassment complaint against an FIA assistant director (legal) posted in Multan.

FIA Punjab Director Dr Usman Anwar told The Express Tribune that a three-member inquiry committee had completed their probe and submitted a nine-page report to the FIA Headquarters on April 30.

Earlier this week, Chief Justice Tassaduq Jillani had taken notice of a complaint by a woman accusing FIA Assistant Director (Legal) Mumtaz Dogar of sexual harassment. The CJ demanded reports on the matter from the FIA and Punjab police.

The FIA inquiry report stated that Dogar had had a dispute with the woman on two occasions over a pending case she was involved in. The committee decided that there was very little merit to her complaint.

Dogar has been transferred to FIA’s Gujranwala office and Qaisar Shabir Warraich posted in the Multan office in his place.

The FIA director said that Dogar had not been transferred due to the sexual harassment allegations, but because he had been posted in Multan for a very long time, and over some other complaints and administrative issues. He said Warraich had assumed charge as the new assistant director legal.

An FIA official, on condition of anonymity, said that Dogar had been posted in the Multan office for almost 26 years.

Dr Usman said that he had also ordered the Multan FIA deputy director to refer the sexual harassment complaint to the local police as it was no longer in the FIA’s ambit.

The investigation of the case the woman was involved in under the FIA Anti-Trafficking Circle has been transferred to the FIA Anti-Trafficking Circle office in Lahore to ensure that there was no bias at any level, Dr Anwar said. He said he would personally supervise the investigation to ensure that the woman’s grievances could be redressed. On the other hand, the woman has told police that she has been receiving death threats for sending the complaint to the chief justice.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2014.