Governor takes notice of Chinese student’s alleged harassment

PESHAWAR: The alleged sexual harassment of a Chinese student at the University of Malakand by no one else but her own teacher has taken a serious turn as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman Khan took notice and ordered an inquiry into the matter.

The story about alleged harassment of the foreign student had appeared in The News last week. A Chinese student Ms Zhou Min had lodged a complaint against her teacher Qaiser Khan, chairman of the Department of English, accusing him of sexually harassing her.

The complaint had been made through an email. Spokesman for the University Fida Khan confirmed: “The complaint had been made from an unofficial email to an unofficial email.”

He said that a five-member committee about sexual harassment comprising two deans, two women teachers and a legal expert was already in place in the university. The matter has been referred to the committee for inquiry and I am unable to comment on it before submission of the inquiry report, the official said.

A member of the inquiry committee approached by this reporter also stated that the matter was highly confidential and he could not comment on it.

However, he informed this scribe that the committee had started its proceedings and the allegations would be counter-checked from the accuser before finalizing its report. He said the committee had held a few meetings.

However, Governor Shah Farman, who is also chancellor of the public sector universities, was not satisfied with the university’s own committee, which according to him might be influenced. Therefore, he ordered a high-powered committee to look into the matter impartially and fix the responsibility.

Another committee has already been formed to look into the sexual harassment charges against a number of employees in Gomal University where a senior professor and dean Prof Dr Hafiz Salahuddin was forced to resign and four more employees including two teachers were sacked.

As far as the matter of the Chinese student is concerned, she had applied as foreign student for a two-year course in English in the University of Malakand a year ago through the Higher Education Commission. But since the university had no clear policy for foreign students, the department concerned declined the admission and rather asked for formation of a proper policy for the foreign students.

It was also not known as what kind of course of study she wanted to take admission in, sources told The News. However, later she was given admission in 2019, the sources said. The university administration, according to the sources, accorded the warmest welcome to the student on her arrival and an official dinner was arranged in her honour, which was attended by all the senior officials of the institution including the vice-chancellor. It was after her arrival in the university that it was known that she wanted to pursue MPhil, a course which the university was not offering at all, the sources said. “Thus she could not be enrolled at all in the university,” the source said.

The university has very recently launched MPhil in English for which applications have been sought, the sources said. “But even now she doesn’t qualify for the MPhil and can’t be enrolled,” the source said. Unable to enroll her in the course, she wanted to study, the university administration offered her temporary job on a daily wage basis.

The office order to this effect says: “On recommendation of Principal University Public School and Girls’ college the vice-chancellor is pleased to hire the services of Ms Zhou Min as lab attendant on daily wage basis at the rate of Rs 900 for a period of six months.” During her stay in the university, she got special attention from her teacher(s).

She got the opportunity to visit all the scenic places like Kalam, Laram and others in Swat and Dir districts along with her teacher(s), the sources said. After staying in the university for a few months, she returned home. There are meagre chances that she would return to the university as she won’t be able to pursue the courses of her choice, the sources said.