PPP MNA Shazia Marri has condemned Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks about women in the National Assembly, saying lawmakers should avoid using such language for female members or any woman in Pakistan.
In an earlier speech to the parliament, Khawaja Asif accused Fazlur Rehman of hiding behind female lawmakers. It was these remarks about women that Marri later condemned on the floor of the House.
Speaking on a point of order during Friday’s session, Marri said the defence minister had made “very inappropriate remarks regarding women” in the heat of his speech the previous day. A video of her remarks was shared by ARY News.
What Shazia Marri Said
“Yesterday, the defence minister, in the heat of his speech, made very inappropriate remarks about women. I condemn them,” Marri told the House.
She said such remarks should be condemned openly, no matter which side of the aisle they come from. “These were regrettable remarks. And I think that at least the honourable members of this house should refrain from using such remarks for the honourable female members or any female in Pakistan,” she added.
Marri also told the House that women lawmakers from the JUI-F had approached PPP in the Assembly over the matter, and that the party had also felt at the time that the issue should be raised.
What Sparked the Row
The issue began on Thursday, when Khawaja Asif grilled JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman in the National Assembly.
A day earlier, Fazlur Rehman had mocked Asif for staying home while high-level talks were held in Tehran. In his reply, Asif said no defence agreement was being negotiated in Tehran and that he was at home instead. He also questioned Fazlur Rehman’s political record.
It is also not the first time Asif has faced criticism over remarks about women in Parliament. In 2023, women parliamentarians strongly protested comments he made about them during a joint session.
The latest exchange comes during a week of heated debate between the government and the JUI-F. Asif has meanwhile said that Pakistan will defend Saudi Arabia with full force under the Makkah defence pact.
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