PU removes Khijsta Rehan from wardenship

Lahore:  Punjab University Public Relations Officer Khuram Shahzad has said that taking notice of complaints of female students and several others, the Hall Council administration has terminated University Law College Lecturer Khijista Rehan from the additional duty as Warden Girls Hostel No 3 with immediate effect.

It is pertinent to mention here that Honorable Lahore High Court has recently dismissed Khijista Rehan’s petition of sexual harassment against PU Vice Chancellor and also dismissed stay barring university administration from taking any action against her. In a press statement issued here on Monday, the PU spokesman said that neither Khijista Rehan took her classes nor she take interest in administrative affairs of the hostel rather her behavior with female students was highly aggressive and rude.

The spokesman said that Khijista Rehan had also tortured a female student of PhD and snatched her mobile phone and forced her to leave hostel. The spokesman said that Khijista Rehan had never produced any evidence to support her totally false allegations. He said that Mr Rehan had launched malicious campaign to malign the repute of the judiciary, Punjab University and other provincial departments. Mr Shahzad said that Ms Rehan was crossing all the limits to defame the oldest and highest seat of learning of the country.

The spokesman called upon the judiciary to take notice of highly offensive anti-judiciary statements of Ms Rehan. He said that according to chronology of the events, which could easily prove the motive behind the baseless and false allegation, Khujista Rehan went to Australia for 11 months in 2010 without mandatory prior approval of ex-Pakistan leave while there were already some inquiries were underway against her. Later in the meeting of Punjab University Syndicate held on March 20, 2013, he said, Khujista’s case was discussed and Syndicate Member Ms Rozina Alam, who was representative of Higher Education Commission, stated “proceeding on leave without sanction by Khujista Rehan itself was a case of indiscipline which would not be tolerated at all.

” He said Lahore High Court Chief Justice’s representative Honorable Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik, now Honorable Chief Justice, also endorsed those comments. However, Mr Shahzad said, the Syndicate took a lenient view and instead to terminating Khujista Rehan from services, the meeting decided that the period of her leave may be converted into leave without pay. Later on June 20, 2013, in a meeting of Academic Staff Association, Khujista used highly abusive language against the Vice Chancellor however the house unanimously passed resolution against Khujista on her abusive attitude.

He said a few teachers on July 11, 2013 submitted a complaint to the administration to take notice of the attitude of Khujista which was against the dignity and respect of teaching profession upon which on July 20, the university’s additional registrar sought clarification from Khujista Rehan and on July 26, 2013, Khujista Rehan for the first time leveled baseless allegation of sexual harassment against the Vice Chancellor without providing any substantial evidence in order to avoid disciplinary action. Mr Shahzad said that Khujista Rehan was not taking her classes since many years and a large number of her students had complained it.

He said the university administration had conducted an inquiry into the matter and the allegations of the students had been found true and there were undeniable evidences in this regard. He said that Khujista Rehan was an aggressive lady and had so many times misbehaved with senior colleagues. He said that an FIR was registered against her on torturing her senior colleague and Hostel Warden Associate Professor Dr Farrah Kanwal.