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ISLAMABAD: A grade 20 officer at the Regional Directorate of National Savings (RDNS) has been demoted and a naib qasid was made to retire for harassing a colleague.
The victim, also a naib qasid, had alleged harassment by four RDNS officials. Disciplinary proceedings were initiated against them in response to her complaint under the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act.
The grade 20 officer, a director, was demoted as a result of the proceedings and the naib qasid was retired.
An office order issued by the Central Directorate of National Savings Islamabad said that the officer allegedly exploited his official capacity as joint director and zonal head and harassed the victim by extending requests for sexual favours.
He also did not act on verbal complaints by the victim regarding unwelcome sexual advances towards her by an assistant director and naib qasid in his office, and declared such harassment as part of service in the public sector, it said.
The order added that the officer also misused his official position, offering the victim’s siblings employment if she withdrew her harassment allegation against him and the assistant director during a visit to her residence.
Another office order said the naib qasid harassed the victim by making unwelcome sexual advances towards her.
A four-member inquiry committee was constituted in response to the allegations, the order said. The committee concluded that while the charge of harassment against the grade 20 officer was not established, he could not defend the charges related to his failure to take appropriate administrative action against harassment by the naib qasid required under the code of conduct for workplace harassment.
This led to subsequent harassment by the assistant director, the order said. It added that the officer also could not defend his misuse of authority as the controlling officer as outlined in the charge related to his visit to the complainant’s family and the offer of inducement in the shape of jobs for the complainant’s siblings to curb the harassment complaint against the assistant director.
Since one allegation stands fully proven and the other partially proven, the committee recommended the major penalty of reduction to a lower post upon the officer in pursuance of the workplace harassment act, the order said.
It added that in response to the recommendation, the competent authority – Central Directorate of National Savings Islamabad additional director general – imposed the aforementioned penalty on the officer with immediate effect.
The inquiry committee against the naib qasid found that the allegation of physical harassment of the complainant was proven, and recommended the major penalty of compulsory retirement upon the accused. This penalty was also imposed by the competent authority with immediate effect, the order said.
Both officials can exercise right to appeal within 30 days, it added.
RDNS officials told Dawn that the victim has accused four people; decisions against two have been made, while decisions against the other two – including the assistant director – are awaited.