Saddia Mazhar ,
ISLAMABAD,(Parliament Times): A warning given by teacher to his student during exams while found using UN fair means could end the teacher’s career. Dr. Ghulam Mustafa, Head of department (political science) in Government College university Faisalabad is bearing such consequences these days. Another case of #MeToo ! He took the charge as HOD few months ago but terminated just a week after with allegations of harassment. Who is being harassed? Amazingly his female students are running a campaign in his favor on social media.
Sadia Shabir, a student of GCU Faisalabad told, he is one of the decent, co operative and a very respectful faculty in our department. Dr.Gulam Mustafa is serving as Associate Professor after being demoted before the inquiry by investigative committee began. He is in stress and his family is facing difficulties socially. Chairman youth parliament, Mian Amir is behind this allegations, university students claim. He is using his power; Prime Minister Portal is being used with anonymous complaints against Dr Ghulam Mustafa. He is reluctant to voice in media and other social and departmental platform. Are we waiting for another suicide? After the given coverage of the #metoo campaign in Pakistani society, it’s easy to assume that the perpetrators of sexual harassment are always men. But that’s not the case today, when the whole world is talking about #metoo beyond gender and age. Recent high profile allegations of sexual harassment in show- business left many others shaken and distressed. As “beauty is in the eye of beholder” the harassment prove could also be define “ sexual harassment can be in the eye of beholder”. For male it is more difficult to face the society after these allegations. “Why I’m so strongly supporting #metoo? Because I know exactly how it happens now, inside a room then outside courts inside courts and how a survivor hides confides because I was brutally raped by a very powerful person in our media world,” A Pakistani filmmaker Jamshed Mahmood Raza known as Jami has added new momentum to the country’s fledgling #MeToo movement after airing allegations that he was raped by an unnamed media tycoon. We can find a detailed code of conduct and definition about harassment ,allegations and uncomforted on government websites handling or making laws about sexual harassment, cyber bullying and increasing insecurities about jobs and work places but what about the resolved cases and false allegations against men? The debate starts after the sequence of false harassment cases against men were witnessed in our society. Why is there a great concern about false allegations of sexual harassment (or other forms of harassment) when few formal complaint investigations result in findings of false allegations? Simply put, the stakes are high. While waiting for the detail documents from FIA through Right to Information Law, I received a call of Mr. .Tariq manhood, Director FIA. he said that FIA just deal with the cyber harassment cases ,harassment at workplace is not under FIA jurisdiction .while answering to other questions related to cyber crime, online harassment ,complains on prime minister portal he just invite me for a discussion .But neither he nor any document were available. There may be negative impacts on career and reputation. Potential job loss or discipline is a reality. The stress, time, effort, frustration, and financial cost take a toll on the parties. Establishing the basis for a complaint, or defending against allegations, particularly if this entails proving a negative—that something did not happen when it is alleged it did—is often a difficult and lengthy process. The embarrassment and emotions attached to allegations and evidence can undermine even the strongest individual. I beg you to please to re-open the inquiry and ask the administration to rusticate the roll no#**** student of mass com on the basis of putting false allegation against the professor. This is the only way to clear me from the harassment allegation.” Muhammad Afzal lecturer of MOA College wrote a letter to the harassment committee’s enquiry officer, Dr Aalia Rehman a day before he committed suicide, claiming that he was suffering from extreme stress and that he wanted the administration to officially clear his name.
Afzal’s extreme reaction sparked huge uproar in social media as people have started questioning the methods of determining whether a person has committed harassment. People have also pointed out that the #MeToo movement which has gained huge popularity across the world is increasingly being used to libel and smear innocent people for personal gain, especially women in our society. Singer and actor Ali Zafar, who was recently accused by singer Meesha Shafi of sexual harassment expressed solidarity with the late lecturer, raising concern over the increasing misuse of the #MeToo movement. False harassment allegations started last year during the season of election and Ayesha Gulalai PTI member from Khayber pakhtun khawa made a desperate attempt to overshadow the political drama After striking Imran Khan on what she presumed was his Achilles’ heel, Ms Gulalai probably thought she could portray herself as a victim of sexual harassment and gain sympathy to her account being a woman from conservative Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. While a lot of working women got relief under the Act of 2010, there are some who misused it to settle scores. Sexual harassment is always wrong. It degrades the harassed victim and may cause permanent scarring. It has no place in an ethical workplace. One new form of harassment is through the use of social networking. In extreme cases it can become cyber-bullying. If you believe you are a victim of harassment, speak out right away. The longer you wait, the more your story may be doubted.
The Man in Pakistan is too in secure; they work under pressure with the increasing phenomena of being accused of false harassment cases by co worker of opposite gender. The voice of such man can only listened and relived when they have protection under the constitution of Pakistan which they currently donor have. Respect is a basic ethical value in our society. The harasser not only disrespects the harassed individual, but harassing actions indicate that the guilty party has no respect for him or herself.
