The HEC chairman’s absence irked the committee, which issued a summons and warned that court orders could be issued.
ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Functional Committee on Devolution has expressed serious concern over the rise in cases of sexual harassment in the country’s higher education institutions.
At its meeting on Wednesday, some members of the committee referred to the case of Fahmida Laghari, a medical student who allegedly took her own life after being repeatedly harassed by a professor, and called for effective measures to put an end to such incidents.
Committee chairman Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro noted that Fahmida Laghari, a student at Muhammad Medical College in Mirpurkhas, had not reported the harassment and was forced to take extreme measures.
He questioned how unreported cases of harassment could be addressed and highlighted the need for stronger mechanisms. The committee meeting also reviewed cases of harassment at COMSATS University Islamabad.
The absence of the chairman of the Higher Education Commission upset the committee, which issued a summons and warned that court orders could be issued if he does not appear at the next meeting.
Officials informed the committee that 472 cases of harassment were reported at universities nationwide, of which 455 have been resolved; 53 teachers and 19 students were expelled for harassment cases
Specifically in COMSATS, 20 cases were reported between 2023 and 2025. Of these 14 complaints were filed by women. These cases included incidents of sexual and workplace harassment.
After investigations, two cases resulted in fines, one person was expelled, five received warnings, four cases ended with apologies, one complaint was withdrawn, and the suspects in four cases were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Officials maintained that harassment complaints are handled confidentially and that zero tolerance applies. They added that action is taken immediately once a complaint is made and that mechanisms are in place for students to safely report harassment.
