Federal Ombudsperson Upholds Demotion of Woman Officer in University Harassment Case

The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment has upheld the primary disciplinary punishment imposed on a woman officer of a public university after deciding her appeal in a workplace harassment case. However, the forum struck down the lifetime restrictions on her promotions and appointments to administrative positions, declaring them contrary to the law.

According to the decision, the case was filed by the university’s Registrar, who alleged that a senior woman officer visited his office and initially expressed a desire to take a selfie with him. He stated that her attitude changed after he informed her that he had no authority over the ongoing recruitment process.

The complaint alleged that the woman officer threatened that if she was not appointed to her preferred position, she would release videos of the registrar, file a false harassment complaint against him, and ask her journalist husband to highlight alleged irregularities at the university in the media.

The registrar said he kept another staff member in his office as a precaution, but the woman officer repeatedly insisted that the staff member leave the room.

Feeling unsafe, the registrar secretly recorded the conversation before moving to the office of the Deputy Registrar, where the woman officer allegedly followed him.

During the inquiry, the audio recording was presented as evidence. The woman officer expressed remorse over her conduct and submitted two written apology letters.

After reviewing the evidence, the university’s inquiry committee found her guilty and imposed several penalties, including demotion to the post of Deputy Registrar, a three-year ban on promotion, and disqualification from holding any administrative position in the future.

The woman officer challenged the decision before the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment.

After hearing the appeal, the ombudsperson ruled that Pakistan’s harassment law is not limited to conduct of a sexual nature. The decision stated that threatening, intimidating, pressuring, or creating an atmosphere of fear for an employee also falls within the legal definition of harassment.

The ruling also made an important observation, noting that if the registrar had not recorded the conversation and a complaint had instead been filed against him, the facts might never have come to light and an innocent officer could have faced disciplinary action.

At the same time, the Federal Ombudsperson held that the university’s inquiry committee had not given adequate weight to the woman officer’s written apologies. The forum also ruled that the law does not permit lifetime bans on promotions or appointments to administrative posts.

Accordingly, the Federal Ombudsperson removed the lifetime restrictions on promotions and administrative appointments, while upholding the primary punishment of demoting the woman officer to the position of Deputy Registrar. The decision reaffirmed that workplace harassment under Pakistani law extends beyond sexual misconduct and also includes threats, intimidation, pressure, and actions that create fear in the workplace.