ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi terminated the employment of a National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) official due to workplace harassment.
As per the provided information, President Alvi terminated the services of Ahmad Nadeem, NEPRA’s HR Management Director, for workplace harassment, imposing a stricter penalty.
President Alvi maintained that the act of sending text messages to a female colleague with ulterior motives, pressuring her to stay at the office beyond regular hours, making unwelcome advances, and coercing her with potential dire consequences for rejecting unethical demands constituted harassment. He emphasized that no leniency was justified.
In his decision on a workplace harassment case, President Alvi stated that the complainant’s statements, witness testimonies, CCTV footage, WhatsApp messages, and email evidence all conclusively established the occurrence of harassment.
He further noted that the accused had indirectly admitted his wrongdoing expressed dissatisfaction solely with the severity of the punishment imposed.
“The principle of reasonableness and proportionality demands that the penalty is modified to dismissal as it is commensurate with the gravity of the offence”, he further added.
President Alvi additionally dismissed the representation submitted by Ahmad Nadeem, an NEPRA official, and escalated the minor “withholding two increments” penalty initially imposed by the Federal Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (FOSPAH) to “dismissal from service.”
An Office Assistant, a female, lodged a complaint of workplace harassment at NEPRA, alleging that the accused “used to call her into his office, discussed personal matters, passed comments on her looks, tried to physically approach her, invited her to have lunch and dinner, and used to send unnecessary and inappropriate text messages.”
President Alvi Takes Decisive Stand Against Workplace Harassment
NEPRA’s Internal Harassment Committee (IHC) conducted a comprehensive inquiry, ultimately substantiating the allegations of harassment against the accused. The IHC recommended a significant penalty of “reduction to a lower post” from Director to Deputy Director.
Both the complainant and the accused filed representations with FOSPAH. In response, FOSPAH downgraded the penalty of “reduction to lower post” to “withholding of two increments for a period of three years.”
Subsequently, both the accused and the complainant presented separate representations to the President against FOSPAH’s ruling.
Conducting a personal hearing of the case at Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Alvi engaged with the matter. The complainant appeared with her counsel, while the representatives of the accused and NEPRA also attended.
After examining the records and reviewing statements from the involved parties, President Alvi noted that the IHC’s inquiry was comprehensive and supported by evidence. The accused’s objections pertained primarily to the severity of the punishment.
President Alvi emphasized that the accused’s behavior disrupted the work environment, amounted to harassment, and hindered the complainant’s ability to perform her duties in a just and unhindered manner.
President’s Verdict: Harassment Charges Substantiated with Serious Consequences
The President remarked. “Workplace harassment can have very serious consequences for women who experience it as a harassed woman risks losing her job or the chance for a promotion if she refuses to give in to the unethical demands of someone in authority”.
Analyzing the incidents detailed in the complaint alongside the evidence presented by the complainant, along with CCTV footage and WhatsApp conversations, the President affirmed that they collectively substantiated the accused’s culpability for the harassment charges.
Stressing the gravity of workplace harassment, he underscored that Pakistan’s Constitution and legal framework safeguard women’s rights, demand a harassment-free work atmosphere, ensure gender equality, and protect the right to earn a livelihood devoid of discrimination.
Consequently, the President determined that the charges of harassment were valid. As a result, the penalty was elevated from “withholding of two increments” to “dismissal from service,” as leniency was deemed unwarranted for the NEPRA official.
