Islamic varsity faculty, students protest against admin’s inaction

Inquiry into alleged professional harassment has not progressed in one month

ISLAMABAD: International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) faculty members protested at the varsity on Wednesday over the administration’s failure to take action against a professor accused of professional harassment.

Last month, the varsity removed a departmental head for “unprofessional behavior” and for creating an uncomfortable workplace for women after six female faculty members of the same department complained that he had harassed them, and displayed disrespectful behavior towards them.

On Wednesday, the protesting teaching faculty said a probe committee had nothing to show one month after it was formed. The protest was organised by the Academic Staff Association (ASA) of the university. Many of the participants were female faculty members and students.

ASA President Dr Zafar Iqbal said the university is reluctant to take any action against the professor, adding that female teachers are being subjected to ‘media trials’ and their personal numbers have been distributed among journalists without taking permission. He warned the varsity to conclude the inquiry within 10 days and terminate the accused professor, or else they would boycott classes.

Shehzad Ashraf, another faculty member, said people who create unprofessional environments for female or male staff should not be part of academic institutions.

Later, IIUI President Dr Ahmed Yousif Al-Draiweesh assured protesters that a new committee would complete the inquiry within seven days. After this assurance, the protesters dispersed.

Dr Muhammad Irfan Khan, against whom the complaint was registered, however, maintained that an “unregistered association” of the varsity had used the female teachers against him, and now they are using students against him for their protests. He claims he had served the teachers with defamation notices.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2016.