FAISALABAD, May 25: A PPP (Patriots) MNA and the Government College University Faisalabad vice-chancellor have exchanged harsh words and threatened each other with dire consequences over alleged sexual harassment of a girl boarder by the latter.
According to reports, MNA Dr Nisar Ahmad, along with some of his supporters, visited the GCU campus and met vice-chancellor Dr Asif Iqbal in his chamber. During the course of conversation, both let loose their indignation and abused each other.
The university security personnel reportedly tried to push the MNA whose armed guard, however, intervened. The melodrama continued for about 15 minutes during which hundreds of students and faculty members gathered there.
A faculty member, who witnessed the incident, told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that MNA Dr Nisar, together with two persons, entered the vice-chancellor’s chamber and asked him to have with him a one-on-one meeting over “some important issue.” The VC, however, turned down the request and said the matter should be discussed in the presence of the faculty and the students because there was nothing to conceal.
The MNA, he said, again requested Dr Asif to accommodate him but the latter remained adamant and asked the visitor to discuss the matter. At this, the MNA called a girl student in the chamber and asked her to narrate her ‘ordeal’ in the presence of all.
A third-year student of law at the GCU, the girl alleged that the vice-chancellor had tried to molest her when she visited his office for some university matter. The disclosure, according to the eyewitness, shocked the present company and the vice-chancellor started shouting at the MNA, asking him to leave his office or he would be kicked out.
This provoked the MNA, he said, and both used filthy language with each other as a result of which the students and faculty members gathered there.
When contacted, MNA Dr Nisar confirmed that he had a quarrel with the GCU head who, he said, was found involved in misbehaving with a girl student. He said he did not use any objectionable word against the vice-chancellor despite his strong reaction. The MNA said he had visited the institution to discuss the allegations and glean facts.
The incident became even more ignominious for the two men when the student, a resident of Jaranwala, rushed to District Police Officer Muhammad Amin Wains’ office and submitted him a hand-written complaint.
The application made available by the police read like this: “It is submitted that I am a student of the GCU Faisalabad. I am a boarder in Khadija Hostel. I had to go to the vice-chancellor’s office with an application for change of room. He asked me to sit in the retiring room and write another application addressing Madam Sabahat Qamar.
“Then he came and tried to misbehave, rather sexually harass me. I started crying and came out of the room and immediately informed one of my fellow students, Muhammad Farrukh. So it is humbly requested that the vice-chancellor must be punished for the misbehaviour with a student of her daughter’s age.”
During a meeting, Farrukh told this correspondent that “when he came to know about the vice-chancellor’s attempt to sexually harass the girl student, he visited the VC office and met him to discuss the issue but the latter instructed him not to indulge in matters of girl students, otherwise, he would be expelled.
This correspondent made repeated attempts to record the vice-chancellor’s version, but he was not available at the university. The officials on duty claimed that he was busy in a meeting with some high-ranking provincial government officials.