Canada university cancels Tarek Fatah event
TORONTO Provocative commentator Tarek Fatah was at the centre of a controversy on Friday as a speech he was to deliver on the campus of a major Canadian university was cancelled by the administration without assigning any reason.
Fatah, who is of Pakistani origin, was scheduled to speak at Ryerson University in Toronto on August 10, an event that was part of the Canada India Foundation (CIF) Speaker Series.
However,CIFwasinformedby the university that the venue was no longer available for the lecture. CIF’s executive director Vipul Jani was taken aback by the move: “We had booked nearly a month ago. I had checked and re-checked. They cancelled at the last minute without providing any reason. That puts us in a very difficult position.” Jani contended the cancellation meant free speech was being stifled by Ryerson University.
“If we’re not allowed to organise such a speech, that does not speak very well about freedom of expression or about the environment on Canadian campuses which should encourage free speech and free debate, “he said. ISLAMABAD:Pakistan’s Parliament decided on Friday to form a special committee to probe allegations of sexual harassment against opposition leader Imran Khan by a woman lawmaker of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
Ayesha Gulalai, elected to the National Assembly in 2013 from a reserved seat for women in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, stirred up a major row by accusing the cricketer-turnedpolitician of sending her “obscene” text messages and harassing other women leaders. Soon after his cabinet was sworn-in, new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi called for a special committee to conduct an in-camera investigation into Gulalai’s allegations. “We respect the person who has made the accusation but we also respect the accused, and it is their right to be able to contest these allegations,” he told the House.
The National Assembly passed a resolution for the formation of the committee which said the panel should hold its proceedings behind closed doors and submit a report in a month. Khan has dismissed Gulalai’s accusations as a revenge smear campaign for his role in last week’s ouster of Nawaz Sharif.