KARACHI: Provincial Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplaces retired Justice Shahnawaz Tariq on Thursday ordered the removal of the chief executive officer of the K-Electric from his post after finding him guilty of workplace harassment, creating a hostile environment, and causing mental agony to a former employee.

KE CEO Moonis Abdullah Alvi, however, denied the charges and vowed to challenge the decision of ombudsman before an appropriate legal forum.

Former chief marketing and communication officer of KE Mehreen Aziz Khan had moved the ombudsman in 2020 against Mr Alvi and three other officials, accusing them of harassing her during her tenure at the power utility.

On Thursday, the ombudsman issued a detailed verdict, ordering removal of Mr Alvi from his post and imposing a fine of Rs2.5 million to be paid to the complainant as compensation.

It also exonerates the three KE officials from the charges of harassment due to lack of plausible evidence against them.

Moonis Alvi says verdict is deeply distressing to him; vows to file appeal

The ombudsman stated that in case of default, the amount is to be recovered as land revenue by the deputy commissioner from Mr Alvi’s movable and immovable assets, including bank accounts.

He also ordered the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and the Ministry of Interior to block Mr Alvi’s computerised national identity card and passport until the recovery of the fine.

In the verdict, the ombudsman said: “The allegations of sexual harassment levelled by the complainant are heinous in nature and reveal the dark side of the corporate sector. In our conservative and patriarchal society, it is usually difficult for a woman to report such deeply disturbing incidents due to fear of future career prospects; apprehension of counter allegations hurled against her character; and to protect her dignity, self-esteem and self-respect amongst her family, friends, organisation, and society at large where prevailing notions of honour and taboos play a dominant role.”

The ombudsman ruled that the “employer, supervisor, or manager under any circumstances has no right to disrespect, insult or abuse his subordinates especially woman as this offensive behaviour of employer constitutes harassment” as envisaged under Section 2(h) of the Protection against Harassment of Women 2010.

He recalled that Mr Alvi in his written statement had denied the allegations that KE had a culture of patriarchal, sexiest and offensive for women and men and contended that the services of the complainant were terminated because of her performance issues one month prior to her complaint.

However, the verdict said that during the entire tenure of the complainant at KE, no explanation, show-cause notice or advice was ever issued to her by the management of KE regarding her poor performance.

‘Unreasoned order’

Mr Alvi vehemently denied charges of harassment and stated in a series of post on X, formerly Twitter, that he is set to appeal the decision that his lawyer termed an “unreasoned order”.

“The recent verdict is deeply distressing to me. While I respect the legal process and the institutions that uphold it, I must, in good conscience, state that the findings do not reflect the truth of the situation as I experienced it. I am currently reviewing the decision with my legal counsel and will be exercising my right to appeal,” he posted.

His counsel Barrister Abid S. Zuberi and Barrister Ayan Memon said in a statement that “in light of serious procedural and legal inconsistencies, we are moving to appeal this decision before the appropriate forum and are confident that justice will prevail”.

‘A challenging moment’

Later in the evening, KE Spokesperson Imran Rana said in a statement that the ombudsman’s “decision has been a challenging moment for the KE family, for our stakeholders and well-wishers alike”.

“KE stands by the principles of truth, due process, and the values of a professional and respectful workplace. We have been informed that Mr Moonis Abdullah Alvi, feeling aggrieved by the decision, intends to file an appeal in accordance with the law. KE has not yet received the official copy of the ombudsman’s Order. Once received, it will be reviewed in detail accordingly,” he said in a post on X.

Published in Dawn, Aug 1st, 2025