The National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights on Tuesday unanimously upheld the Federal Ombudsman for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) ruling in the Dr Ayesha harassment case, reaffirming zero tolerance for workplace harassment as it reviewed the case at its 14th meeting at Parliament House, alongside the Ayat Noor case in Haripur and the murder of Hina Javed in Rawalpindi.
The meeting was co-chaired by Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry and the committee chairperson. The Committee declared that harassment in any form was unacceptable and that cases involving abuse of authority would be dealt with strictly.
The Committee’s decision followed President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent endorsement of the dismissal of Dr Shahzad Ali Khan, former vice chancellor of the Health Services Academy, over sexual harassment and assault charges involving a junior female officer.
The Presidency, while rejecting Dr Shahzad’s appeal, observed that he had abused his authority and fostered a hostile work environment, thereby upholding the FOSPAH decision and the termination order.
The Committee also reviewed the Ayat Noor case in Haripur and decided that if the victim’s parents remained dissatisfied with the ongoing investigation being conducted by SP Hazara and RPO Hazara Nasir Satti, they could request a fresh investigation team from a special unit.
Condemning the murder of Hina Javed in Rawalpindi, the Committee called for the case to be pursued rigorously and without any leniency towards influential individuals. It reiterated that nobody was above the law and that justice must be pursued without fear or favour.
The Committee said its decisions reflected its commitment to protecting citizens’ rights, ensuring impartial investigations and expediting justice in sensitive and high-profile cases across the country.
