LAHORE: A special tribunal has issued a notice on a defamation suit by a woman assistant professor of the University of Okara against its Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Sajjad Mubin.

The tribunal member, Anjum Raza Syed, instructed the VC to submit a written reply by May 5.

Another defendant Sharjeel Ahmad, the public relations officer of the university, has already appeared before the tribunal on a notice.

The plaintiff, Dr Shehla Honey, filed the suit through her counsel Safdar Shaheen Pirzada, alleging a systematic and malicious campaign of character assassination orchestrated by the head of the institution. She accused the VC of making inappropriate sexual advances toward her in the guise of administrative meetings. When she refused these demands and filed a harassment complaint, the VC launched a vindictive “retaliatory campaign” to destroy her professional standing.

Dr Honey, a researcher with over 110 published articles and a postdoctoral fellow from Imperial College London, alleged that while she was abroad on an HEC-approved scholarship, the defendants utilised official university platforms and mainstream media to label her a “blackmailer”. She referred to several instances of alleged defamation, including media interviews and slanderous statements. She sought Rs1bn in general, special, and punitive damages.

A defamation suit filed by the VC against the woman assistant professor is also pending before the tribunal.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026