On 21 November 2014, Rai Muhammad Saleh Azam [LL.B. (Hons.) (London); Advocate, High Court] gave a talk on laws regarding sexual harassment in Pakistan. The participants comprised of law students and law professors.
This event was held soon after the much talked about “sexual harassment” incident at Lahore University of Management Sciences. The particular incident sparked a lot of controversy in the legal arena with the result that Professor Syed Imad-ud-Din Asad [LL.M. (Harvard); Advocate, High Court; Founding Director and Associate Professor, UMT School of Law and Policy] felt it necessary to invite Mr. Azam to deliver a talk on the same. Mr. Azam, who had already worked in the area, gave a detailed presentation covering various aspects of the issue.
Mr. Azam began by talking about Section 509 of the Pakistan Penal Code that deals specifically with any “word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.” The speaker elaborated upon each word of the particular provision and mentioned a few cases to strengthen the point.
Mr. Azam then moved on to discuss the recently enacted Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2010. He began by mentioning some reasons for its enactment, the most important one being that most people felt that Section 509 was not detailed enough. Mr. Azam went through most of provisions of this Act. He mentioned that while this was an important piece of legislation, some people still questioned whether it was really necessary. Mr. Azam concluded the talk by discussing the LUMS case in comparison with a few other cases.
In the end, Professor Asad thanked Mr. Azam for taking out time to share his views and expertise on the matter.
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