Nine current and recent visiting faculty members at Law and Policy Department at LUMS have issued a statement in support of Prof Abid Hussain Imam.
The statement reads: “We are current and recent faculty of the Law and Policy Department at the Lahore University of Management Sciences and write to take issue with a misleading news report entitled “LUMS teacher found guilty of sexually harassing student” printed in the 1 November 2014 issue of Pakistan Today.
We believe that the article, as well as the underlying Ombudsman’s report, does a great disservice to our colleague, Professor Abid Hussain Imam. As current or recent members of the Department, we are collectively familiar with all the facts and circumstances relating to this case, as well as the individuals involved. As such, we feel compelled to set the record straight.
The incident in question occurred in proverbial “broad daylight” in a public corridor within the Law and Policy Department, in the presence of several witnesses including the head of the Law Department. The entire proceedings were captured by a corridor security camera and the footage has been made available to all parties, and has been viewed by us.
It shows Professor Imam was standing in a corridor in front of his office when a group of students stopped by and engaged in conversation. At one point in the course of this group conversation, Professor Imam is seen momentarily putting his hand on the shoulder of one of the assembled students. The entire episode of the briefest tap on the student’s shoulder took at most a second before Professor Imam quickly withdrew his hand. The students lingered on for a while and then walked away. There appeared nothing to complain about. This was the entire extent of the incident as recorded by CCTV footage.
Realizing that even if this inadvertent action might have been inappropriate, Professor Imam immediately apologized to the student on the spot, if any offense had been caused. That should have been the end of the matter. Professor Imam discussed the matter with the LUMS Vice Chancellor who advised him to offer another apology, which he complied with.
However, the student in question nevertheless decided to press a formal complaint. There is a perception that in pressing the matter she was encouraged by another Law Department faculty member who, during that very period, was being exposed by Professor Imam for falsely representing his educational qualifications.
A committee comprising two females and a male faculty member was constituted. After an extensive investigation, interviewing witnesses and a review of the video footage, it found Professor Imam innocent of sexual harassment both under University policy as well as under legal strictures.
We collectively believe that, given the witness accounts as well as the video recording, there was no other possible outcome to this investigation. Once the entire record was made available, it conclusively demonstrated that the student’s written complaint (already a part of the record) was grossly exaggerated as well as inaccurate.
It should also be noted that while this matter was pending more than 120 of Professor Imam’s students signed a petition in his support and defense, lauding his excellence as a teacher as well as his professionalism and integrity.
Despite being found innocent, Professor Imam in protest, on principle, resigned from his position at the University in May 2014.
For her part, the student took the matter to the Government Ombudsman whose report your paper has featured in its story. From what we know of the conduct of the Ombudsman’s inquiry, we have serious reservations about its process, and understand it displayed scant regard for the procedures and protections mandated and envisaged by law.
However, we write now primarily because we believe this entire process has wronged a valued colleague, and has led our University and particularly its fledgling Law Department to lose one of its most talented members.
These are the facts as we know them. We recognize that sexual harassment at workplace is a real issue and needs to be fought tooth and nail. However, false accusations and tainted processes only hurt this cause.”
The statement was signed by Osama Siddique, Bilal Hassan Minto, Zubair Abbasi, Maryam Khan, Zoe Richards, Waqqas Mir, Rafay Alam, Saad Rasool and Ali Ahsan.
NOTE: The statement is not the official version of LUMS and its Law and Policy Department and the views expressed by the signatories are purely in their personal capacity.
This nation can't flourish when there is such court system and federal ombudsperson., Abid Hussain Imam was my instructor and faculty adviser. He is a great personality. whats wrong with tapping a student's shoulder when u r getting frank with instructor too. That student should get a life!!
How can you defend the action. The action itself was indefensible, however, Prof. Imam realised & immediately withdrew, this remedial action saved him. And it is on this basis that he won sympathy (& rightly so).
What is wrong with the Court system? Point out procedural mistakes? Where were the rights udner Article 10-A violated or denied? If you are a law student you must know what procedural fairness means (which I do not expect from you since your holding of Abid Imam in such high regards speaks volume about your intellectual prowess). The country is doign fine and so is our court system. The problem lies perhaps in people like Abid Imam (a declared pani chor by the DRO during ROPA 1976) get to go to legislatures, civil bureaucracy and the corporate sector, and decide he policy decisions of our country. May you twp rot in the depths of hell.
Hey, lend me your shoulder for a tap if you're a woman and see where it goes .. will yah?
He TOUCHED A GIRL. Shame on you if you think it is NOT a big deal. Its high time you look past your personal favorites and speak against what is wrong.
I hope ur comment was sarcastic. Because if it wasn’t, then your belief that the act of tapping a student on her shoulder in public comprises sexual harassment displays a rural mindset, which belongs to villages, not liberal urban universities.
Rural Mindset? where did that come from? Do you even know what sexual harassment is? You can sexually harass anyone without even touching. Mr. Sadik you are a jerk!
Maybe the video footage should be made public.
Is there really a need for that when its clearly written that all this happened in front of several witnesses
At one point in the course of this group conversation, Professor Imam is seen momentarily putting his hand on the shoulder of one of the assembled students. The entire episode of the briefest tap on the student’s shoulder took at most a second before Professor Imam quickly withdrew his hand.
The above lines are in themselves conflicting. At one point you say that Professor Iman is seen …putting his hand on the shoulder of one of the assembled students. And then you write that it was the 'briefest tap on the student's shoulder'. Putting your hand on the shoulder and tapping the shoulder are two very different things and the law faculty should know the importance that words hold in presenting facts.
The word "momentarily" should suffice to answer your query.
Great CP! but put your father in Professor's place and see if a tap/putting of hand warrants such a drama
She probably just reported him. No one can control the media hype that comes these days as a result of fb and other websites. But touching in any way is inappropriate i feel. And yes a tap or putting of hand as you say included.
Being brushed against in a marketplace by a stranger is also "momentary" and "brief". One still feels violated.
Either it is a storm in a tea cup or the tip of a iceberg.
you just wanted to use tht metaphor dint you?? 😉 lol
i am a student of lums and i know for a fact that these petitions were 183 not 120. i myself studied from prof imam and feel bad for what he has been accussed of.
I'm sure its a conspiracy cooked up by India and the west. Sexual Harassment is a serious issue, but using it freely will get everyone is trouble. I suggest the student needs to apologize to the Professor.
If the student had any sense she should have asked the Professor to apologize on the spot or gone to him later and asked for an apology. Since he did repeatedly the matter was solved and should have been closed.
Oh, but not every girl can have such courage. I think she did the right thing: by speaking out.
Did he momentarily place his hand on her shoulder or unzip a zipper? Different comments on different sites are offering different accounts.
What is noteworthy on the petition above in his defence, is how many LUMS faculty members did not sign it, including the Law HoD Ali Qazilbash, Sikander Shah, Asad Farooq, Sadaf Aziz, Junaid Ahmad and Uzair Kayani. Why did these six not sign? Surely a unanimous petition from all the faculty would have had greater strength? So they must have been approached, and refused to sign? Why? Do these six feel Abid Hussain Imam is indeed guilty? Will they come forward with their position?
The future country that feeds the hunger of a gossip hungry society with such petty issues is doomed. Regardless of what the professor's intentions (which I am sure were nothing but innocent) were, when did publicly patting students' shoulders / putting a hand on a students' shoulders became something equivalent to sexual harassment.
Touching girls when they are not comfortable (even if its patting them on the hand) IS ***ual harassment. I mean who the eff are you, touching me like that?! If we dont address such issues NOW, we will never do them later. This needs to stop and stop right now.
Mahnoor, lets assume just for the sake of argument that the professor in question IS an offender. Why would he try to sexually harass the student in public while she is with a bunch of other students, considering he has his office and countless other instances and places where he can do it? Its not very hard to apprehend that this was not an attempt at sexually harassing the student.
Regardless of what the teacher's intentions were, he should not have done it. He apologized for it and even resigned from his position. Problem is that in our society even barely touching a female accidentally or intentionally is considered harassment. Not to mention the same females who want to be treated equally as men (I myself am a supporter of an egalitarian society in terms of gender). Give me one instance where a female teacher touches a male student in Pakistan on the shoulder and it gets considered as harassment.
My point, please do not bloat the situation to the point where you are hurting a person's character without hard evidence of his intentions.
Considering the girl put ALOT on stake to bring forth the complaint against a person whom everyone has rushed to defend.(based on personal affiliations, his status in society, lineage education background etc etc.), I think the sensitivity should be more towards the girl then the defendant.
You need to keep in mind while the article describes it as a briefest tap', the complainants version has been that it went beyond that – something upheld by the obudsman. This would have been a problem in any part of the world I assure you.
In educational institutions worldwide the onus is on the teacher/educator to be extra cautious and professional in their conduct, because the student tends to be the more vulnerable one. The so called evidence that you call for has been address by the judgement, so with that in place in any educational insitution in the world he would have been harshly criticized and expected to resign.
Your argument that it was a public place infront of students doesnt matter (women get harassed in public all the time) We have seen time an again people in positions of power and responsibiltiies take advantage of their public persona to get away with alot of things. The fact is the touch itself was inappropriate and a qualified transgression.
The students of LUMS are considered to be the brightest and the Lawyer's Movement for Restoration of Judiciary gave impetus to the awareness of the students in Pakistan and LUMS in particular.
The girl student who has pushed an influential like Syed Abid Imam to the corner germs of a thorough lawyer.
The case highlights the perils of bringing up a case of sexual harassment for a girl in our country with so many people questioning her motives; it also highlights the fact how the elite rally around one of their own in times of crisis, no matter how "liberal" they profess to be.
SO true!
Undoubtedly its wrong to touch a female’s shoulder (especially without a valid reason) and if Prof. Imam would have done the same in a remote and backward part of our country he would have been penalised to death by the local villagers of that area. But keeping in mind the high standards LUMS have maitained in the field of education, similar standars of tolerence and cultural adaptability and forgiveness is expected from everyone belonging to such a top class institute.
As far as the action is concerned, I think its between TOUCHING PURPOSELY or TOUCHING UNINTENTIONALLY. Its very important to know if the shoulder was covered with cloth or not, secondly if the student is too attractive or not. Only these information could clarify the intent of the teacher.
I'd love to know what you're smoking, because none of these arguments read like a sane person's thoughts.
a) 'tolerance' is the ability to tolerate the existence of behavior/values that one does not agree with. some examples of values/behavior that are defended in light of tolerance are differences in religion, sexuality, ethnicity, etc etc. It is used synonymously with liberalism, open mindedness etc. Tolerating the existence of sexual assault is not open-minded or liberal, the way you are suggesting. It is oppressive.
b) The man admitted to unzipping the corner of her shirt. that is pretty intentional if you ask me. Whether her shoulder was covered, whether she was attractive or not is irrelevant to his intentions.
I'm sorry, but why is a statement that is very blatantly victim-blaming allowed to be published like this? The other articles on this case hardly point fingers, they merely detail points in the judgement. This is completely and utterly ridiculous. And only one of those listed is a current full-time faculty member. I doubt that counts as 'the Law department'
And way to go Pakistan's elite. Way to take a SERIOUS issue and trivialize it with your own personal vendetta. Way to show us once again that we are all, and I do mean all, scum at your mercy.
I think there is more to this story…i think the student is lashing out and the matter should be investigated further
every student of professor imam knows that he has such a jolly and straight forward nature. he forced me to call my name in front of entire class ten times just to develop my confidence, at one point it seems insulting but on the other hand I am obliged to him that he tried to develop my confidence to speak in front of every one. He had a great respect for girls, I had talked with him alone in his office as he was my advisor, he had always shown a fatherly attitude. I cant believe that he had any wrong intention towards any girl.
Regarding the video, it seems nonsense that he has harassed in front of students and CCTV.
He has a habit of touching people …i know him.
"Nine current and recent visiting faculty members at Law and Policy Department at LUMS have issued a statement in support of Prof Abid Hussain Imam."
Funny. These are all adjunct faculty– people hired by the department on a contract basis but are employed full time elsewhere– or ex-faculty members. Only one of these names, Zubair Abbasi, is currently employed with the department as Visiting Faculty.
So essentially, these signatories are lying about their relationship to the department. Wonder what else they're lying about too?
Please read it again. 'Nine current and recent.' Some of the recent werefull-time faculty who also left the place because of the toxic cesspool it has become. Importantly they were all there when the episode happened and hence privy to the proceedings and evidence. As to current full-time faculty – just to put in perspective – there a paltry four or five left (one of whom has signed the rejoinder as well) and one sent on sabbatical despite his fake Ph.D representation expose. The rest are all adjunct – most of whom have signed. And further, all of them well known teachers and scholars with reputations of achievement and intergrity reaching far beyond LUMS. Just saying. Wake up to reality.
Somebody please ask each other that how many both male and female students or colleagues have put hand on our shoulders. This is a foolish drama, a sh&& story. Get a life and grow up guys please. Every girl is honorable and must be respected by men. There is a need of wisdom and knowledge to be fixed in the minds of this nation. Holy Sh&&t nothing else.
It is just one version of story. No one shud pass judgements with knowing the girls version. It cant be that simple. No girl wud take such a big step for a momentary tap. It needs lot of courage in our male dominated repressive society for a girl to come forward to expose such incidents.
Hey, I'm a slightly good-looking guy and have also been touched several times by Abid Imam. Should I pursue a case of sexual harassment against him as well?
P.S. I'm quite serious here.
"Hey, I'm a slightly good-looking guy"
No you're not. You are quite ugly.
The victim is trying to get best of both west and east.
This is not harrassment at all. Those who harress, they get away with it mostoften than not. They just come, see and conquer not like the professor hamming and hawing. They are aggessive and have a track record over a period and known for it. Such episodic incidents and so momentary in a frank and friendly manner while folks getting folksy, are not harressment and offensive.It seems to be a much ado about nothing. Professor avenged for something else!!!
She did the right thing. A professor who can’t control his hand in public, how he can control his other stuff. She did absolutely right thing. It will save many in future.
No one can deny the fact that the professor touched her. And no it is not acceptable anywhere for professors to engage such actions.. Some students are okay with it, most are not, and it's their absolute right to be. If the student was pissed off about a professor touching her inappropriately then why shouldn't she do everything in her power to penalise him for it? It's within the boundaries of the law and therefore her right to pursue the case however she wants to! Who the hell are we to tell her that she shouldn't feel harassed by the case? Today he touched her shoulder and tomorrow he could touch her elsewhere.. Would we still tell her to "get over it" and that this kind of thinking belongs to a village?
This is blatant victim blaming and the standard brushing aside of a sexual harassment issue that we're so used to.. Everyone loses their shit when someone actually decides to take a stand for themselves..
The Prof is a man in a manly society and the scion of two powerful families. So what if he made suggestive comments and unzipped a female students dress (read ombudsman report or watch clip) a hudood court is sure to let him off in our brave new world where we need four eye witnesses to prove rape (or is that eight?). Please remember Pakistan has not had a single rape conviction in the past five years.
Abid is totally innocent and the female is delusional and should get a life.
Shame on the faculty and the commenters here who are rushing to shame the victim and excuse the professors inappropriate behavior. I am an ex-LUMS and Law and Policy Department student (studied under half the faculty mentioned in the petition here) and I am more than familiar with the kind of environment that prevails in this department. Although I have never studied under Abid Hussain, I can say this much that LUMS Law and Policy Department has had several faculty disciplinary problems over the years. I am aware of professors were even involved with students on a personal level. There is more inappropriate behavior was openly known about a few professors but has always been brushed under the carpet or treated as 'normal'. If you had a problem at any point and called out a professor, or complained to another professor, you would only end up facing a backlash as the faculty tends to close ranks pretty quickly.
In the West at universities and offices inappropriate remarks alone qualify as sexual harassment. If the student felt violated by the undue advances, even if it was a tap even for a second, the professor in question would have gotten fired if this was any workplace or university abroad.
I am disappointed that this petition has been signed by Osama Siddique and Maryam Khan – two professors who I looked up too and studied under. I am disappointed that they would take a public stance on an issue that has been ruled upon by an independent Obudsman, but then again I am not surprised, There have been lingering faculty-behavior related problems in this department over the years (some academic, some related to inappropriate behavior), but my classmates and I always felt too intimidated to approach anyone to complain. The prevailing nepotism in this department meant that there was no one we could trust with our complaints interms of confidentiality and accountability.
The amount of victim-bashing and desperate attempts to salvage the professors reputation makes me realize that years down the line the problem and attitudes remains the same. The faculty only cares about itself and no one else.
shakal se hi choodoo lagta hai wo log andhay hain bc
Shame on the faculty and the commenters here who are rushing to shame the victim and excuse the professors inappropriate behavior. I am an ex-LUMS and Law and Policy Department student (studied under half the faculty mentioned in the petition here) and I am more than familiar with the kind of environment that prevails in this department. Although I have never studied under Abid Hussain, I can say this much that LUMS Law and Policy Department has had several faculty disciplinary problems over the years. I am aware of professors were even involved with students on a personal level. There is more inappropriate behavior was openly known about a few professors but has always been brushed under the carpet or treated as 'normal'. If you had a problem at any point and called out a professor, or complained to another professor, you would only end up facing a backlash as the faculty tends to close ranks pretty quickly.
A great deal of false reports in this letter by Professor Imam’s colleagues. Please see the blog provided which enlists details of the incident:
http://unsilencingharassment.wordpress.com/2014/1…
http://www.shehzadghias.com/the-agora/2014/11/2/s… this post ?
Did he exhibit anything? The footage should clear him
I am sickened that such people teach at LUMS, in fact, at all. You people are outright liars and saving your own sorry asses.
most people supporting this scumbag are PPP uncle aunties and their globe trotting burger spawn. Dont buy their version. They are a club.
Touching is fine especially in elite business schools? this is insane! you and your colleagues are mentally sick!
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