Gandapur wants anti-harassment laws enforced in all public sector varsities of province

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has decided to enforce anti-harassment laws in all public sector universities of the province.

An official communique on Thursday said the provincial government was continuing its efforts to implement reforms in the public sector universities. “The government is prioritising the creation of a conducive educational environment for female students and ensuring gender equality across all state-run universities. To this end, the Chief Minister has decided to enforce anti-harassment laws in all public universities of the province,” said the communique.

It said that a formal directive had been issued from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to the Department of Higher Education, emphasizing the immediate implementation of these laws. The memorandum points out that although various laws, guidelines, and frameworks exist to prevent harassment in educational institutions and workplaces, some universities have failed to effectively implement them. “This failure has led to recent media reports of alleged harassment incidents in certain universities,” it added.

The memorandum further stated that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has taken strict notice of these incidents and has condemned them, considering them not only violations of existing laws but also serious breaches of moral values. He affirmed that the provincial government is committed to a zero-tolerance policy against harassment, especially within educational institutions.

The directive outlined that the Higher Education Department must ensure that all universities under its jurisdiction take necessary actions to prevent harassment. It also called for raising awareness among students, particularly female students, about the current anti-harassment laws. The memorandum instructs the formation of harassment inquiry committees in each university, with at least one female focal person assigned to each committee. The contact details of these focal persons must be published on the universities’ websites.

Furthermore, a robust mechanism for reporting and addressing harassment complaints must be established, and strict adherence to the protocols and guidelines issued by the Department of Higher Education is mandatory.