Gomal University fires professor over sexual harassment
Multiple women — including students and faculty — accused the disgraced educationist of sexual misconduct
June 25, 2020
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Gomal University has fired one of its top teachers after allegations of sexual harassment against him were proved, its administration has confirmed.
Professor Hafiz Salahuddin, a professor at the varsity's Islamic Studies and Arabic Department and the chairperson of its Islamiyat Department, was let go from the position after authorities earlier took him into custody.
According to a notification, Gomal University found proofs and strong evidence of sexual harassment against Salahuddin.
He was also heading the Islamic Research Centre at the university and was said to have been associated with it for almost three decades.
Multiple women — including students and faculty — had accused the disgraced educationist of sexual misconduct, following which he was forced to resign and retire.
Earlier this month, Salahuddin's interim bail was cancelled and he was arrested in Dera Ismail Khan.
According to a report in The News, the disgraced academic was trapped by the crew of a private TV channel, which sent a woman to him undercover on the pretence of requesting a job.
The professor reportedly also harassed his students and threatened them with lower marks in examinations and was accused of attempted sexual assaults on women lecturers in the varsity.
Subsequently, the university's then vice-chancellor, Prof Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, had sought Salahuddin’s immediate resignation on being shown the video footage where he was caught red-handed.
A Dawn report in March had claimed that four other employees of the Gomal University were also dismissed from service after charges of sexual harassment were proved against them.
"The orders for dismissal, issued by the deputy registrar's office, stated that Assistant Professor Imran Qureshi, Professor Dr Bakhtair Khan, game supervisor Hikmat Ullah, and lab attendant Hafeez Ullah were being dismissed from service on March 3 on account of 'proven grave misconduct of sexual harassment'," the publication had reported.
