LAHORE: A meeting of the Vice Chancellors (VCs) Committee, constituted by Governor Chaudhry Sarwar to formulate an effective strategy to prevent incidents of harassment at public places and workplaces, was held on Wednesday at the University of Health Sciences (UHS).

The committee was constituted following the Iqbal Park incident to come up with a future strategy to avoid such incidents.

Those who were present in the meeting included Government College Women’s University of Sialkot VC Prof Rukhsana Kausar, University of Home Economics’s Prof Kanwal Amin, University of Education’s Prof Talat Naseer Pasha, University of South Asia’s Mian Imran Masood and Punjab Tianjin University’s Dr Abdul Sattar Shakir. Rawalpindi Women University’s Prof Anila Kamal participated through video link.

Presided over by UHS VC Prof Javed Akram, the committee in the first phase recommended establishment of internal inquiry committees in all medical and dental colleges of the province to investigate the incidents of harassment.

Prof Akram said the incidents like of Iqbal Park brought the country into disrepute. He said most of the incidents of harassment go unreported.

He suggested that a multi-centre study should be done to have evidence-based data on incidents of harassment.

University of Home Economics VC Prof Kanwal Amin said the media should show responsibility in reporting such incidents. She said there was a harassment policy of the Higher Education Commission for universities which was very comprehensive.

University of Education’s Prof Talat Naseer Pasha said 80pc of the cases of harassment turned out to be fake.

Rawalpindi Women University’s Prof Anila Kamal said such incidents had always been there; it was only now that people had started talking about it. She said the character building of the youth would bring about a difference in thought.

Advocate Noshab A Khan said the Supreme Court had recently declared the existing law on harassment as cosmetic and inadequate. The present law needed to be amended, especially with regards to the definition of harassment.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2021