Absence of HEC chairman irked committee, which issued summons, warned warrants could be issued
ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Functional Committee on Devolution expressed serious concern over the rise in cases of sexual harassment in the country’s higher education institutions.
At its meeting on Wednesday, some committee members referred to the case of Fahmida Laghari, a medical student who allegedly took her own life after being repeatedly harassed by a teacher, and called for effective measures to stop such incidents.
Committee chairman Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro noted that Fahmida Laghari, a student of Muhammad Medical College in Mirpurkhas, had not reported the harassment and was driven to an extreme step.
He questioned how unreported harassment cases could be dealt with and stressed the need for stronger mechanisms. The committee meeting also reviewed harassment cases at Islamabad’s COMSATS University.
The absence of the chairman of the Higher Education Commission irritated the committee, which issued a summons and warned that warrants could be issued if he does not attend the next meeting.
Officials informed the committee that 472 harassment cases were reported at universities across the country, of which 455 have been resolved; 53 faculty members and 19 students were expelled in harassment-related cases
Specifically at COMSATS, 20 cases were reported between 2023-2025. Of these, 14 complaints were lodged by women. These cases included workplace incidents and sexual harassment.
Following investigations, two cases resulted in fines, one person was expelled, five received warnings, four cases resulted in apologies, one complaint was withdrawn and suspects in four cases were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Officials maintained that harassment complaints are treated confidentially and that zero tolerance is enforced. They added that action is taken immediately when a complaint is made and mechanisms are in place for students to safely report harassment.
