The Women’s Action Forum (WAF) has strongly endorsed the Sindh Ombudsman’s judgment against K-Electric (KE) Chief Executive Officer Moonis Alvi in a high-profile sexual harassment case, while criticising the power utility’s Board of Directors for enabling a culture of impunity.
In a letter addressed to KE’s Chairman Mark Skelton, WAF hailed the five-year-long inquiry led by the Sindh Ombudsman, describing it as a landmark ruling that upheld the safety and dignity of millions of working women across Pakistan. The forum expressed dismay over the conduct of KE’s all-male board, noting that it has continued to back a “convicted harasser” rather than take corrective action.
The group pointed out that KE’s board remains in violation of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan’s (SECP) requirement for at least one female board member. It further criticised the company’s failure to investigate the original harassment complaint, instead dismissing the complainant.
WAF also voiced alarm at the Sindh High Court’s rapid decision to grant an ex parte stay order on the Ombudsman’s ruling, calling it an overreach on a “legal technicality of jurisdiction” that had already been settled in 2021.
Additionally, the forum condemned attempts by a public relations lobbyist reportedly linked to KE to smear the complainant on social media and messaging platforms.
WAF issued three key recommendations: that KE’s CEO step down during the appeals process, that award recipients return honours given by KE, and that an independent audit be carried out into the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion practices as well as its handling of harassment complaints.
“Should the KE Board persist in supporting Moonis Alvi, they will be the enablers of harassment,” WAF warned.