ISLAMABAD: The Federal Ombudsman has found Dr Shahzad Ali Khan, Vice Chancellor of the Health Services Academy (HSA), guilty of sexual harassment and directed authorities to remove him from his post.
According to the verdict, Dr Shahzad was held responsible for abuse of authority and quid pro quo harassment. The Ombudsman ruled that the defence of “consent” in a teacher-student relationship is not acceptable, noting that where there is a clear imbalance of authority, consent carries no legal status.
The written decision stated that the vice chancellor granted illegal professional favours to the student, while mobile messages and unusual appointments were treated as evidence supporting the harassment charges. His appeal was also rejected.
The Ombudsman further dismissed allegations of financial corruption against the student due to lack of evidence, emphasising that no public office is above the law and that a zero-tolerance policy will be applied in harassment cases.
