President Alvi dismisses NEPRA official over workplace harassment

Enhancing a minor sentence of withholding two increments of a NEPRA official over workplace harassment, President Arif Alvi imposed the punishment of dismissal from job, it was learnt on Friday.

Alvi rejected the representation filed by Ahmad Nadeem (the accused), Director HRM in National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and changed the minor penalty of withholding two increments imposed by the Federal Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (FOSPAH) to dismissal from service, a post from the President of Pakistan X (formerly Twitter) handle stated.

“The principle of reasonableness and proportionality demands that the penalty is modified to dismissal as it is commensurate with the gravity of the offence,” the statement said.

Earlier, a female office assistant (the complainant), had filed workplace harassment in 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.

The Internal Harassment Committee (IHC) of NEPRA conducted a detailed inquiry and concluded that the allegations of harassment stood established against the accused and recommended imposing the major penalty of reduction to a lower post from Director to Deputy Director.

President for ensuring harassment-free environment for women at workplace

Both the complainant and accused filed representations with FOSPAH, subsequent to which FOSPAH reduced penalty of reduction to lower post to withholding of two increments for a period of three years. Later, both the accused and the complainant filed separate representation with the President against FOSPAH’s decision.

The president in his decision wrote that statements of complainant, witnesses, CCTV footage, WhatsApp messages, and email fully established the factum of harassment.

Alvi held a personal hearing of the case, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, in which the complainant appeared with her consul whereas the representatives of the accused and NEPRA appeared.

The president, after perusal of the record and the statements of the parties, observed that the inquiry conducted by the IHC was quite detailed and supported by evidence, and the accused was only objecting to the severity of the punishment.

“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,” the president remarked.

He was of the view that unwelcome conduct of co-workers makes the working conditions hostile and unpleasant and also put indirect pressure on women to leave their jobs.

“Sometimes, a woman employee is so traumatised by the harassment that she suffers emotional and physical consequences and becomes unable to perform her job properly,” Alvi said.