The recent case of sexual harassment at LUMS reveals many disturbing facets of Pakistani society – I will write more on the issue but for now I wanted to write about the statement that colleagues of the accused issued in the press in his defense. I have been a long standing admirer of the intellect of many of those who penned this which is maybe why their poorly thought out, sometimes utterly ridiculous and in other places downright incorrect representation of “facts” was disturbing to say the least. Pasted below is that statement they issued and in bold, inside the text, is my problem with their defense.

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 which was printed in Pakistan Today. 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.