PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s remarks against women at his homecoming rally came under fire in a Senate session on Friday.
Nawaz had compared PML-N’s women supporters with PTI’s — without naming the party — and implied that his supporters were more “decent”.
“Where are our sisters? Look how respectfully our sisters are listening to this rally. There is no one dancing to music here. Do you understand what I am saying or not,” he had said.
Nawaz’s remarks were condemned by politicians like ex-PTI MNA Maleeka Bokhari and journalists alike.
The matter reached the Senate, where PTI’s Senator Walid Iqbal took aim at Nawaz’s remarks.
Iqbal, while referring to the late PML-N senator Rana Maqbool, stated that he respected women and he should have taught his leader how to respect women.
“[MQM head] Altaf Hussain also talked against women and had to apologise later,” Iqbal added.
“Please do not make political statements,” said Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
“I am not making a political statement,” Iqbal replied.
Sexism in Pakistan’s political system is not new, nor is it new to the PML-N party.
Recently, senior PML-N leader Khawaja Asif made a statement on the floor of parliament, using a derogatory reference for PTI’s women members of parliament.
A few years ago, he referred to a senior female PTI member as a “tractor trolley”. Instead of retracting his words in the face of backlash, he took complete ownership of what was said.
Rana Sanaullah, while speaking to reporters outside the Punjab Assembly in 2018, made inappropriate comments about the women who attended the rally at Lahore’s Minar-i-Pakistan, saying: “The women who attended the rally were not from honourable families because their dance moves implied where they had actually come from.”
Fawad Chaudhry described former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar as a “low-IQ woman” whose claim to fame lies in her handbag and sunglasses.
In recent times, there is only one pleasant example that comes to mind, when the PPP issued a show cause notice to Nabil Gabol and asked for an explanation after he joked about rape.
Resolution condemns state terrorism, violation of international law in held Kashmir
The Senate also moved a resolution condemning the “brutal state terrorism and killing of the innocent Kashmiris” by the Indian forces as well as the “blatant violation of international laws” in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“This House strongly condemns the killing of thousands of innocent Kashmiris (who are martyred) in Indian Occupied Kashmir by Indian forces,” the resolution reads, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.
The resolution urged the international community for the expedited formation of the Commission of Inquiry to investigate the “gross human rights violations” in held Kashmir, as the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also recommended it.
The resolution rejected the conduct of “fake elections” in India-held Kashmir by the Indian government, adding that these actions violated UN Security Council resolutions which stipulate that the final disposition of the Kashmir dispute would be made in accordance with the will of the locals through a free and impartial plebiscite to be conducted under the auspices of the UN.
“This House re-affirms its solidarity and commitment to the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir in their just struggle for their rights to self-determination and reiterates its continuing political, moral and diplomatic support,” the resolution reads.