FUUAST VC found guilty of workplace harassment for 'demeaning remarks' about female faculty members

The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment has found Dr. Zabta Khan Shinwari, Vice Chancellor of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST), guilty of workplace harassment.

Federal Ombudsperson Fauzia Viqar observed that making sexist or demeaning comments by individuals in authority amounts to workplace harassment under the law.

She said that Dr. Shinwari made repeated gender-based and disparaging remarks about female faculty members, including comments implying that women over the age of 35 experience hormonal changes that affect their mental stability and behavior.

The complaint was filed by Fazia Akhter, a lecturer in the university’s Department of Computer Science, who accused both Dr. Shinwari and department head Dr. Muhammad Sheraz of harassment. While other allegations against the two officials were not substantiated, the ombudsperson concluded that the vice chancellor’s comments constituted harassment by creating a hostile environment for female staff.

The ombudsperson imposed a penalty of censure on Dr. Shinwari under Section 4(4)(i)(a) of the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act. The university syndicate was instructed to oversee the vice chancellor’s conduct and ensure such incidents are not repeated.

Additionally, the university has been directed to strengthen its institutional mechanisms by forming a standing inquiry committee, displaying the statutory code of conduct across campuses, and conducting regular awareness and sensitisation sessions for faculty, staff, and students.

In her remarks, the ombudsperson emphasised that institutional leaders bear greater responsibility to model respectful behavior and that ignorance of gender sensitivity cannot serve as an excuse.