Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Hostelites of residing at the government-run Nusrat Hostel for Working Women, are disturbed owing to the unprofessional and immoral behaviour of the administration, Daily Times has learnt.

With a capacity of around 50 rooms, the Nusrat Hostel for Working Women located in sector G-6/3, Islamabad, is regarded as one of the best hostels that houses women who are working in different public sector departments of Islamabad.

However, according to sources, many rooms are lying vacant in the hostel, and those women are currently residing there, are subjected to mistreatment by the hostel’s authorities.

Originally, the hostel was being run by the Ministry of Human Rights, where the ministry’s joint secretary of Administration was also the chairperson of the hostel. As of now, Humera Azam Khan is the incumbent JS Administration of the ministry.

In a written complaint, some residents of Nusrat Hostel informed the Human Rights Ministry regarding the issues in the hostel.

“We are working in reputable government organisations with job descriptions that demand mental effectiveness and efficiency. Our performance at job is being affected due to the unprofessional and immoral behaviour and disturbances being created by some hostel employees,” they alleged.

“Whenever we submit an application to the hostel administration, they do nothing to resolve our grievances,” they said in the complaint, adding that the hostel security mechanism was also quite “pathetic”.

According to sources, because of a lack of check and balance and security, some hostelites had been calling over their male friends, in violation of the rules.

The hostelites also pointed out that whenever they needed something from the nearby market, no one from the administration was willing to help them or allot them someone for the task.

The available documents stated that these residents also submitted similar complaints with the ministry in August and November last year. However, the sources revealed, no concrete step has been taken by the authorities concerned to review the plight of the inhabitants.

Furthermore, they requested to the authorities to take serious action against the discrimination they were facing.

Despite repeated efforts, Humera Azam Khan could not be approached. However, the hostel’s warden Shaista Mumtaz said that she tried her best to keep the hostel’s environment calm and ideal, and so these complaints were only part and parcel of heavy politics against her.

“In a span of the last few years since I was appointed here, my ministry is very satisfied with my performance. The ministry did not observe any such issue in the hostel,” she said.

She also questioned the frequent visits of the hostelites’ male friends. “I issued them notices, and an impartial inquiry will be made in this regard,” she claimed.

Currently, there are only three government hostels for working women in the capital. These are the Staff Welfare Women Hostel, the Fatima Jinnah Women’s Hostel and the Nusrat Hostel.

Published in Daily Times, February  20th  2018.