SWAT: Government Postgraduate Jahanzeb College Swat Principal Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah has said an inquiry has been initiated into harassment allegations raised in an anonymous letter against some the staff members.

He stated this while presiding over a meeting participated by the teaching staff, according to a statement issued by the college administration on Friday.

Mr Shah said college was a prestigious educational institute established during the former Swat state, providing quality education to students of the region, but some elements were trying to defame its reputation.

He said the issue of anonymous letter against some of the staff members was taken up by social and mainstream media in a wrong way. He said content of the letter was analysed and an enquiry was already initiated. He said strict legal action would be taken against those found guilty.

“A proper anti-harassment cell exists in the college, but this particular issue was not brought to it,” he regretted.

The college principal said if unverified news was spread the college administration had the right to take legal action against those responsible.

The administration has also asked those who wrote the anonymous letter to meet the management to convey their grievances. “The administration will resolve their issues without showing their names,” the statement said.

At the meeting, the teaching staff of the BS programme said that harassment allegations in the letter were made against the staff of the intermediate section, but media attempted to attach the matter to the BS faculty. They asked the media outlets to refrain from such practice.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2021