IBA registrar quits over harassment issue

A new twist has come in the case of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi student Muhammad Gibrail, who was evicted from the institution five months ago and later reinstated, as Registrar Dr Asad Ilyas resigned in protest against the report of the anti-harassment committee.

"I am the target of this decision," the IBA registrar said in an email to the institution. It may be recalled that the IBA administration itself had not yet made a decision on the report. The Express Tribune contacted IBA spokesperson Ayesha Javed twice to find out the institute's position, but both times she kept asking for time to comment. Attempts were also made to contact the director IBA but he avoided the contact as usual.

It may be recalled that the anti-harassment committee investigating the complaint filed by the student Gibrail against the IBA Registrar Dr Asad Ilyas had recommended suspending him from office for two weeks. The committee also recommended that Ilyas apologise to student Gibrail for his actions in the presence of the IBA's executive director.

The Express Tribune also contacted Asad Ilyas to find out his position, but he said that he had given his position to the IBA and that the institute should be contacted.

It may be recalled that IBA Karachi had expelled its student Gibrail from the institution by canceling his admission when he posted an incident of harassment of a female employee on social media and protested against the administration for not taking notice of the matter.

However, the administration soon realized its mistake when the hasty decision on this issue had serious consequences and many IBA students besides politicians protested against it and subsequently Gibrail's division was restored.

Gibrail then filed a complaint against IBA Registrar Asad Ilyas for abuse of power. An anti-harassment committee comprising Director Corporate Relations Malahat Awan, Chairperson Management Department Dr Muhammad Ayaz and Barrister Altaf Qureshi launched an investigation.

Gibrail had stated before the anti-harassment committee that when he appeared before Dr Ilyas in the Registrar's Office Leadership Team (ROLT) on September 16, 2021, there were about 15 people present. The team did not comment on the harassment of the female employee, but the registrar told Gibrail during the meeting: "Since you have made a Facebook post about this incident, therefore, you should now seek justice from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg".

Ilyas further said that in this case you yourself became the judge and jury. Gibrail was told that he was being removed from the IBA. Gibrail told the Anti-Harassment Committee that he has not been given a chance to better present his case to the ROLT.

It is pertinent to note that the Anti-Harassment Committee, which had been investigating Gibrail's complaint for several months, in its recommendations recommended suspension of the university registrar, saying that the committee had noticed that the IBA registrar had influenced the disciplinary committee. Therefore, he should personally apologize in writing to Gibrail in the presence of executive director. However, the institute's executive director should take responsibility for the decision to expel Gibrail before the public and the anti-harassment committee.

It has also been said that Ilyas not only misused his powers but his actions caused immense damage to the institution. The recommendations state that the anti-harassment committee considers the registrar's office to be one of the most important, sensitive and front-facing offices. Therefore, the registrar's office should have counseling and training under its reform program. They need the skills of cultural intelligence and negotiation so that such an accident does not happen again.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2022.