DERA GHAZI KHAN: Gaddai police have arrested two Ghazi University professors, suspects in the student rape case, while Taunsa police have registered another case against the suspects on the report of victim girl’s father for issuing him threats for registering a case against them.

The father of the girl had lodged a complaint with Saddar Police Station, Taunsa, that the suspects in the rape case had issued him death threats, asking him to force his daughter to withdraw the FIR.

According to the complainant, both professors of the Physics Department had threatened to kill him if the rape case against them was not withdrawn.

On his complaint, a case number under Section 506-B has been registered with Taunsa Saddar because the girl belonged to Taunsa.

Another case registered against suspects for death threats to victim’s father

On the other hand, the absence of a syndicate committee and the Ghazi University administration’s alleged disregard for the sensitivity of sexual harassment complaints has put the reputation of the university at stake.

The students from the Physics department had filed a complaint on the Pakistan Citizen Portal on Feb 4, 2023 against harassment by two professors who later became suspects in the rape case.

In response, an inquiry committee was formed, headed by Dr Nadeem Akhtar, who is currently on ex-Pakistan leave. One member of the committee, Dr Saadullah Leghari alleged that Dr Akhtar had prepared an ‘all-good’ report without conducting an inquiry and asked him to sign it. Dr Leghari refused to sign the report and it was submitted to the portal without his signature.

Later, the female student filed a written complaint of rape against the two professors and the local press came to know about it.

The university authorities then formed another four-member (including female faculty member) committee, headed by Dr Saadullah Leghari. According to Dr Leghari, the committee recommended the dismissal of both the professors on the findings of the inquiry and suggested a forensic audit of the evidence.

He also claimed that instead of taking action against the suspects, the university authorities had started victimising the whistle-blowing professors, Dr Arshad and Dr Rashid, who refused to keep the rape case secret. The authorities accused them of defaming the university.

The report of Dr Leghari’s committee is now awaiting a decision from the syndicate committee, which had not been functional for the last one year.

Later, nineteen professors of the university tendered their resignations in protest against victimisation of whistleblower professors and Dr Leghari was also among the them who submitted their resignations.

The former registrar, Dr Allah Bakhsh Gulshan, stated that he was also removed from his position because he refused to compromise on the matter.

Another professor who resigned told Dawn that a committee, headed by the Dera Ghazi Khan commissioner, had tried to resolve the matter of 19 professors who had resigned in protest against illegal administrative acts of the VC but the VC didn’t agree with the commissioner and started suspending whistleblower professors and issuing show-cause notices to others.

Vice Chancellor Muhammad Kamran said he had suspended the professors involved in the rape and harassment case, pending the decision of the syndicate committee, but unfortunately, the committee had not been operational since the change in the provincial government.

The VC added that he had contacted the relevant authorities to reorganise the committee.

Meanwhile, one of the suspended professors, Dr Arshad, has lodged a writ petition before the court to get a stay against his suspension from service.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2023