ISLAMABAD – President Dr Arif Alvi has trashed the review petitions of senior officials of Multan Electric Power Company who had been sacked after the charges of sexual harassment were proved against them.
Dr Alvi also doubled the fine of Rs500,000, imposed by the Federal Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace, to Rs1 million on the accused considering the mental trauma he must have caused to the female employee of power company.
A press release shared by President’s Office said the charges of blackmailing and sexually harassing a female employee were proven, and President turned down the review petition of dismissal from service imposed upon Assistant Director Khizer Hayat. He doubled the amount of fine from Rs0.5million to Rs1 million.
Further, Dr Alvi kept the punishment of demotion to lower rank imposed upon director (admin) Mian Sohail Afzal, for a period of 3 years and increased his fine from Rs1 million to Rs1.1 million to be paid as compensation to the victim.
He however upheld the acquittal of MEPCO deputy director Sohail Abbas, and director Jamshed Ahmed Niazi, as no coherent evidence proved them guilty of the serious charge.
In his remarks, President said “It is a matter of common sense and even a man of prudent mind cannot think that a lady can ruin her modesty and dignity herself by making false complaints of sexual harassment just to defame a person or colleague”.
He stressed denouncing such acts of sexual harassment especially in organizations like Multan Electric Power Company. If such management of such organization cannot safeguard a female employee, she will fear stepping out of her home to make a dignified living, Alvi said.
MEPCO Sexual harassment case
The case dated back to 2019, when the victims’s mobile phone was hacked by gazzetted officers of the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco).
Last year, Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection against Harassment of Women found Mepco Assistant Director Khizar Hayat, and Director (Admin) Mian Sohail Afzal, guilty for hacking the victim’s mobile phone to blackmail her.
Mepco Headquarters Commercial Assistant Hafsa Tariq took legal route against top Mepco officials for sexually harassing her at workplace under Section 8 of the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010.
In her complaint, the victim maintained that the senior officials tricked her to get her mobile phone, and illegally took her personal conversation and pictures to blackmail her. The culprits shared chat and media content with other MEPCO employees as well on social sites.
