A teacher at Dera Ismail Khan’s Gomal University has been fired after aninquiry committee declared him guilty of sexual harassment.

Muhammad Zubair had been an Assistant Professor at the university’sDepartment of Political Sciences, and the decision to terminate his tenurewas taken by the university’s Disciplinary Committee on the basis of aninvestigation report that proved the allegations of harassment against him.——————————

Gomal University had previously dismissed another teacher for similarreasons in June 2020. Professor Salahuddin had been a senior member of thefaculty at the Department of Islamic Studies and Arabic and had resignedfrom his service in February 2020 prior to the leveling of allegationsagainst him.

A notification regarding Dr. Salahuddin’s dismissal read:

The dismissal is imposed as punishment on proof of his involvement insexual harassment activities under the provision contained in KhyberPakhtunkhwa Universities Act 2012 (amended up to date wide clause23(2)(m-i).

The evidence of his alleged involvement in sexual harassment came to lightearly when a news channel streamed a report about it. The news report wentviral and caused the professor to resign before the law enforcementagencies filed an inquiry report against him.——————————

Although Dr. Salahuddin was arrested in March last year following inquiriesagainst him, he was later released from prison owing to his affluentrelationship with the university’s former officials and questionablepolitical backing.

The government of KP is yet to comment on the matter of Dr. Salahuddin’sunusual release.