In a shocking development, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA, Iqbal Afridi, went on a sexist rant against a female employee of K-Electric during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Energy meeting of the National Assembly on Friday.
“Mr Chairman, the K-Electric’s female employee’s dress code isn’t appropriate. There should be proper SOPs for dress code in National Assembly,” said the PTI MNA to Chairman Muhammad Idrees.
Geo News reported that the agenda of the meeting revolved around K-Electric’s performance.
As the meeting concluded and the team left, the PTI MNA considered it essential to discuss a woman’s attire in the meeting.
The Chairman of the committee, Muhammad Idrees, apologised in front of journalists, remarking that a woman’s dress code shouldn’t have been discussed in the first place.
Afridi, however, was undeterred and spoke with journalists, saying, “If this kind of people come into a civilized society, then what will our kids say? You saw the woman who was here; her clothes weren’t appropriate.”
Adnan Siddiqui appeared on a recent episode of Ahmed Ali Butt’s podcast ‘Excuse Me’ where he addressed his role in the controversial drama ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho’ and the dialogue ‘do takkay ki larki’ which sparked intense outrage from women in Pakistan.
Butt revealed that he had a conversation with the writer Khalil ul Rehman about the line, to which the writer had responded that he used the word ‘larki’ for one woman. Siddiqui pointed out it was solely directed towards the female character Mehwish (played by Ayeza Khan) rather than a generalisation of all women. He further stressed that audiences should contextualise the dialogue within the drama.
“Mehwish and Shehwaar were both equally blamed for this. Danish, who was deeply in love with his wife, sacrificed a lot for her happiness and was madly in love with her. When he discovered the affair he was outraged, which led to the dialogue. In his rage, he couldn’t use a slur because he’s a man of culture. So this was his slur. Let’s stick to that scenario because that dialogue was solely meant for Mehwish and not all women of Pakistan.”
The host behind reality TV series ‘Tamasha’ urged audiences not to conflate characters to real-life people, pointing out that the characters in the story line were not a reflection of reality.
After India’s historic loss against Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup final, fans were devastated. Some chose to lash out at Australian players, posting misogynistic and degrading slurs on the Instagram profiles of Australian cricket players Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell as well as their wives.
An Indian firm named Marketing Moves is going viral after they offered a day off to their employees to recover from India’s loss.
“Hi team,” the message read. “In light of India’s loss in the recent WC, we recognise the impact on our team members. To offer some support during this time, the company has decided to grant a one-day leave relaxation. We believe this will provide an opportunity for everyone to regroup and recover. Let’s come back stronger.”
Bollywood A-list couple Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor were embroiled in several controversies due to the latter’s sexist comments. In August, the actor was slammed by netizens for being a “toxic, privileged man” following Alia’s revelation in a Vogue interview that Ranbir didn’t allow her to wear lipstick when the two were dating.
Now, Alia has addressed the criticism directed at her husband in an interview on Koffee With Karan.
“I have a very candid way of speaking…things just get picked out of context which happened recently. My team told me ‘Ye kuch out of hand jaara hai’. There were serious articles written about how he was a toxic man.”
Alia added that she was concerned about the criticism, as Ranbir is the opposite of toxic.
Ranbir’s advice was to ignore what the media said about her, as long as her career was doing well, Alia narrated.
“Ranbir says this, ‘Alia the audience owns you, they can say whatever the hell they want to say about you, as long as your movies are doing well please don’t complain sitting in your apartment in Bandra.”
Speaking about the criticism, Ranbir revealed he was okay with being labelled as an example of ‘toxic masculinity’, because the fight was bigger than him:
“Recently, I was reading an article about being toxic and something relating to some statement I made, and I understand. Listen, I am on your side. Whatever you are fighting against this toxic masculinity, I am on the side of people who are fighting for it. So, if they want to use me as a face, I am fine because their fight is bigger than just me feeling bad about them having an opinion on what I said.”
Yashma Gill was a guest on the Nadir Ali podcast, a clip of which has gone viral, where she passionately spoke out against the misogynist stereotype that women are gold-diggers.
Ali said that in our society today, a man’s ugliness is considered his empty pocket:
“Regardless of whether he is good-looking or not, he looks awful without having money. He is told to go and earn money.”
Gill corrected this statement by pointing out that that many women in successful, happy marriages are earning more than their husbands so this stereotype that women are only in love with money isn’t true:
“I will not give any names, but around us there are a lot of examples where a woman is more successful than her husband, and they had love marriages…Regardless of these people belonging to my field or not..I don’t like the stigma attached to women that we are gold diggers.”
Ali brought up a sexist stereotype about women gaining financial independence and abandoning men:
“When a man earns, he hands over everything he has to the woman. Whereas when a woman begins earning she decides to abandon her man.”
Gill counteracted this statement by pointing out that financial independence only helps women become more confident within themselves, and doesn’t translate into not wanting a companion anymore.
“People are confusing this with when a woman becomes financially independent, she is no longer helpless,” stressed the ‘Pyaar Kay Sadqay’ actor. “She can stand up for herself. She can remind her parents that she is no longer a burden on them so doesn’t need to be married off. She can even provide for her children…So I think that independence for women and girls can give them strength and power, not the fact that they don’t need a man. Everyone needs companionship.”
Gill then gave the example of Hazrat Adam (S.A.W) and Hazrat Havva (S.A.W), to prove that every human being was meant to have a companion:
“Take the example of Hazrat Adam (S.A.W) and Hazrat Havva (S.A.W), this is a natural thing that evcryone needs companionship. But there must be compatibility, respect and a lot of other things.”
Listen to her complete interview here:
Gill shared the viral clip on her Instagram stories to address the misunderstanding that might rise in case audience is assuming that Ali was being sexist, to which the actor had written that the host was respectful and well mannered:
“So just to clear the air, the respectable host only meant to ask my opinion on what is a common misconception in society. Nowhere did he agree with it himself or said that it is something that he believes in. It was just one of the many things that he discussed with me – “discussed” not imposed, argued or debated. Therefore let’s not get him wrong and frame him in ways he doesn’t deserve because he was nothing but extremely kind and respectful towards me that I was honestly in awe of his nature. A true gentleman.”
Considered a “senior leader” of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Javed Latif has passed sexist comments against former First Lady and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi.
In an apparent reference to Khan and his wife, he said, “The 72-year-old boy is saying that my 75-year-old wife was alone in the house in Zaman Park. The chaadar and the sanctity of the four walls have been violated.” He continued, “If she was alone in the presence of 200 terrorists, Should she be surrounded by 4000 or 5000 armed people for him to her consider safe?”
His comments came under fire on Twitter where a lot of social media users not only condemned the politician’s statement but also called him out in harsh words.
72 سالہ لڑکا کہہ رہا ہے کہ میری 75 سالہ بیوی زمان پارک گھر میں اکیلی تھیں چادر اور چار دیواری کا تقدس پامال کیا گیا ہے.اگر 200 تربیت یافتہ دہشتگردوں کے حصار میں بھی اس کی بیوی اکیلی تھی تو کیا اس کے ارد گرد 4,5 ہزار مسلح لوگ ہوں تو یہ اسے محفوظ سمجھے گا؟ وفاقی وزیر میاں جاویدلطیف pic.twitter.com/o3MfUfSUVa
Aurat March Karachi issued a statement, quote tweeting the clip. “We strongly condemn such sexist remarks against Bushra Bibi by a government representative,” stated the feminist group. “It is disgusting that political parties have normalised sexist attacks on women from opponent groups.”
“That this statement is coming from the party of Maryam Nawaz, who herself remains a victim of sexist slurs is all the more concerning,” continued the official statement.
“We demand the government and all political parties stop this misogynist tradition which targets women due to their gender. Such practice should lead to strict punitive action by [the] government as well as Election Commission.”
We strongly condemn such sexist remarks against Bushra Bibi by a government representative. It is disgusting that political parties have normalised sexist attacks on women from opponent groups. That this statement is coming from the party of Maryam Nawaz, who herself remains a.. https://t.co/nAdByipieg
— Aurat March – عورت مارچ (@AuratMarchKHI) March 20, 2023
This is not the first time that a politician sitting in a media gathering has used this kind of language for a woman.
The Current strongly condemns the PML-N leader’s remarks. This should stop NOW!
Women political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. It facilitates women’s direct engagement in public decision-making and is a means of ensuring better accountability to women. But here in Pakistan, women in politics are seen as a threat to the fragile egos of some male politicians.
When we talk about women’s political participation, it is easy for us to imagine the empty seats around the decision-making table, and a little more difficult to picture the many obstacles and challenges women face to get into those seats. When the same empty seats are filled by women, they somehow become a threat and danger. Recently, Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) MNA Abdul Akbar Chitrali criticised State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on her recent visit to Afghanistan. Chitrali said that he was not against any female minister, but he believed that the government should have included some tribal elders in the Khar-led delegation that visited Afghanistan. In response to his sexist statement, women Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) from treasury benches extended their support for Khar. Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman said, “This debate on gender difference has ended in the entire world, as to who is a man and who a woman. People are known for their performance and merit and not for their gender. Our women are excelling internationally and continuing to do so.” Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also spoke up, asking that all parliamentarians, especially the men, should encourage and acknowledge the competency of women ministers appointed on merit.“Hina represented Pakistan in Afghanistan. This is a moment of pride for the entire nation,” she said, rebuffing Chitrali’s objections.
It is not the first time that we have seen sexism in parliament. Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani called Sherry Rehman the “Senate’s dadi (grandmother)” when he asked a house member to keep the questions specific so that Sherry Rehman can answer the questions. “I would advise you to only ask specific questions so that Sherry Rehman, who is the dadi of this House, can give you the right answers,” Sanjrani said, adding that members should keep the environment of the House calm.
This month we saw PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry advising Information Marriyum Aurangzeb and Sherry Rehman to quit politics and open a beauty parlour instead.
The question remains: what are the male politicians so frightened of? Politicians need to learn that there is a a fine line between criticism and misogyny remarks. Our politicians and men in general of Pakistan need to do better. Women of Pakistan are fierce, resolute and hardworking — be it in any field of the world. They are trendsetters and opinion makers. They shall and will not be stopped.
PML-N leader Tallal Chaudry has come under fire again for passing derogatory comments and being rude to PTI MNA Kanwal Shauzab.
On a talk show, the PML-N and PTI members were in a heated debate on the ongoing ‘Azadi Marchi’ when Chaudry disrespected Kanwal by using abusive language and accusing her of the ‘things’ she has done to reach power.
“Main yahaan saari cheezain nahi bata sakta. Humaray peechay bhi phirti rahi ho. Iss baat ka jawaab do,” Chaudry said to Kanwal.
(Sister, I can’t discuss everything here. You also followed us. Do you have an answer to this?)
When Kanwal called him out for his “cheap” comments, Tallal responded, “Ghatiya tum ho gee (You are cheap). Keep your tongue in check.”
At this point, the host intervened and asked her guests to stay on the topic.
However, the two did not back down and continued to engage in an argument.
“Aap kay peechay kaun phir sakta hai? Aap toh khud dus jaghon say phir kar aye hain,” (Why would anyone follow you? You yourself have been at ten places), Kanwal remarked.
At this point, Tallal asked Kanwal to be quiet and act like a woman and earn her respect.
What was even more interesting to note that the JUI-F member Mufti Kifayatullah present on the show sat with his eyes closed.
Watch the video here:
Meanwhile, Twitter called out Tallal for being “rude and indecent”.
Ministers Shireen Mazari, Fawad Chaudhry and Zartaj Gul Wazir were among those who hit out at the lawmaker.
Talal Ch and his cohorts including Kh Asif abuse women in and out of parliament and don’t have the moral courage to apologise. https://t.co/fYh0OT9r9J
کل پیش آنے واقعے، جس میں طلال چوہدری نے انتہائی گھٹیا زبان استعمال کی میری ساتھی ایم این اے کنول شاہزیب کے بارے میں، اس کی بھرپور مذمت کرتی ہوں۔ طلال کا یہ لب و لہجہ اس کی پرورش اور ملنے والی خاندانی تربیت کی عکاسی کرتا ہے۔ یہ بندہ قابل ترس ہے اور اس کا میڈیا پر بائیکاٹ کیا جائے۔
Talal Ch’s behaviour is uncivilised, unethical& highly condemnable. All such characters irrespective of party affiliation who use abusive language,target women in public sphere should be banned by the leadership.They bring disrepute to politics @MaryamNSharif@CMShehbazhttps://t.co/lMGcWwdbF4
1. Usman Dar: it’s perfectly normal to throw in a ‘Pathan joke’. Casual racism doesn’t hurt anyone. #ShameOnUsmanDar2. Talal Ch: it’s alright to allege that a woman politician came into power by “giving favors”. #SlowClap for anchors who keep inviting them
This man is a disgrace! Talal Chaudhary should be condemned by all specially by women in politics as well as in media. Shame!! @KanwalMna Salute you for staying there listening to all that filth and still responding with words like ‘aap’. pic.twitter.com/xpvSvF6Hsl
This man is a disgrace! Talal Chaudhary should be condemned by all specially by women in politics as well as in media. Shame!! @KanwalMna Salute you for staying there listening to all that filth and still responding with words like ‘aap’. pic.twitter.com/8QoA3pVui1
This is not the first time Talal has come under fire for passing derogatory and sexist remarks. Earlier his comments on Firdous Ashiq Awan has sparked social media outrage.
“This is the kind of tabdeeli … if Baji Firdous Ashiq Awan got her face washed, the way her real looks would emerge from behind her makeup… she would appear as Firdous Khan instead. This is also the real face of this tabdeeli,” Chaudhary had said.
Following the backlash, Chaudhry had issued an apology on Twitter saying: “My intentions were not to hurt someone, if my statement or example was ‘inappropriate’ then I would like to apologise.”
