Politics

‘Not gender specific’: Khawaja Asif clarifies ‘garbage’ remarks

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Kh Asif says his remark “did not have any gender specification”.
Minister says it was “their” choice to see his remark in wrong context.
He says he will apologise if Imran does for remarks against Maryam.

Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Mohammad Asif, who found himself in the centre of a controversy — not for the first time — for the derogatory remarks towards the women parliamentarians, clarified his stance on Thursday, saying that it was nothing “gender specific”.

In a heated speech during Tuesday’s joint sitting of parliament, the defence minister termed the female senators “koora karkat (trash),” “garbage,” and “leftovers” of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

“This is the garbage left here, which has to be cleaned. Depraved women should not lecture on chastity,” Asif had said, drawing huge outburst of negative reactions from politicians and commoners alike.

Today, after the Senate passed the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2023, the defence was allowed to speak in reference to his discriminatory remarks.

He said that PTI Senator Ali Zafar had objected to the passage of bills on Tuesday, saying that the government was bulldozing the laws.

“I referred to the night when 54 bills were passed in one or two minutes; the people [involved in it] who have done the same should not lecture us on it.

“To dilate this, I made a remark which did not have any gender specification in it. Absolutely not,” Asif said.

He said it was “their” choice if they wanted to see his remark in the wrong context, stressing it was “not a gender-specific remark” on his behalf.

The minister went on to say that when it comes to gender equality in the house, the men parliamentarians never protested the remarks made against them.

“If they claim gender equality, then they should tolerate such references,” he added.

Hearing this, the opposition members again protested and demanded an apology from Asif.

When Asif was again allowed to speak, he said that he would add only one thing the PTI chief had passed derogatory remarks against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz as well.

“I’ll apologise if they apologise for what their leader said about Maryam Nawaz,” Asif said.

He reiterated, it was not a gender-specific remark, and it should have been heard or read in the correct context.

“I did not make any remark against the women. There were men parliamentarians sitting over there but they didn’t see that these remarks were for them as well,” he said, adding that the remarks were directed collectively towards the entire opposition’s presence.

He said that the remarks were wrongly branded as gender specific.

After this, the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani ended the debate by saying that the minister had clarified his stance.

However, the PTI senators walked out of the House in protest of Asif’s remarks.

Sherry Rehman ‘sorry’ for not stopping women’s insult

Following the outcry over Asif’s Tuesday remarks, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman said, she “would have intervened to stop women Parliamentarians from being insulted,” if she had listened to the debate inside the house.

“Of COURSE I was not smiling at the remarks. That was about how pleased I was at the consensus I got in cabinet for the climate plan, which took many nights to get done. Had I heard the remarks of course I would have intervened. My bad,” she wrote on Twitter.

Latest News

PTI suggests resuming talks with government over judicial commission issue.

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

Barrister Gohar, Chairman of the PTI, has claimed that the party’s founder has suspended negotiations, emphasizing that the government should declare the commission within seven days.

He emphasized the PTI’s openness to rethink if the government makes headway and establishes the commission.

Barrister Gohar told the reporters, “Seven days were enough to announce the commission.” We are ready to reconsider, but the government must first announce the commission.”

He stated that the PTI approached the negotiations with an open mind. “The PTI founder has halted the negotiations. “The government had eight laws on their agenda, while we only had two demands,” he stated.

The PTI chairman went on to say that even after seven days, no progress had been made in forming the commission. He encouraged the government to reconsider the decision and proceed with the announcement.

Latest News

PTI will declare February 8 to be “Black Day,” sparking protests across the country.

Published

2 weeks ago

Farwa

According to reports, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) intends to hold rallies nationwide on Wednesday in support of its decision to declare February 8, the one-year anniversary of the general elections, a black day.

According to media sources, PTI founder Imran Khan has instructed all party lawmakers—including MPAs and MNAs—to plan and take part in demonstrations in their local communities on February 8 in order to draw attention to their complaints and issues.

In a recent meeting with legal advisors on Wednesday, Imran Khan expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the party’s Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram. The meeting emphasized the importance of party discipline and gave stern directives to abstain from any criticism of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of the JUI-F.

It has also been suggested that the PTI engage opposition leaders in the demonstrations in order to win their support.

Party insiders revealed that the founder has urged leaders to ensure effective coordination and mobilised efforts in preparation for February 8.

Latest News

In 13 cases involving the D-Chowk demonstration, Bushra Bibi granted temporary release until February 7.

Published

2 weeks ago

Farwa

Bushra Bibi, the wife of the PTI chairman, was granted temporary release by the Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in 13 counts pertaining to the November 26 D-Chowk protest. Judge Tahir Abbas Supra ordered the police to produce all pertinent documentation by February 7 and granted bail against surety bonds of Rs. 5,000 apiece.

Additionally, Bushra Bibi was given temporary release until February 7 in the Rangers’ accident case. During the hearing, Judge Tahir Abbas Supra expressed disappointment over the behavior of the defense counsel on two occasions. Addressing the lawyers, he remarked, “You demand VIP protocol everywhere, but this is not possible. Prepare your files properly before coming to court.”

Three cases at the Secretariat Police Station, two each at the Margalla, Karachi Company, and Ramna Police Stations, and one each at the Tarnol, Kohsar, Aabpara, and Khanna Police Stations are among the numerous charges against Bushra Bibi.

In addition, the judge chastised the defense team for requesting that Bushra Bibi sign and thumbprint blank documents. He said, “The accused must sign and thumbprint the court orders, not blank sheets.”

Bushra Bibi also went to the Islamabad High Court to have her biometrics verified in relation to her appeal to be exonerated in the Toshakhana-II case. On Monday, Bushra Bibi and the PTI chairman submitted their acquittal petitions. After finishing the biometric procedure, she departed right away.