Uproar over Imran Khan’s comments about Maryam Nawaz

Addressing his supporters at the Multan rally on Friday,ex-premier and PTI chairman Imran Khan made misogynist remarks against Maryum Nawaz which warranted criticism from different corners.

He responded to Maryum Nawaz for her comments during her rally in Sargodha a day earlier. He said: ‘I heard that she spoke about me with jazbas and Junon that I want to ask her to be careful lest her husband gets angry’.

As anticipated, Imran’s statement sparked a strong response on social media, with journalists, women’s rights activists, and the PDM-PPP government all condemning the use of misogynous language against a female politician.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hurriedly tweeted that every woman must condemn the use of such malicious words against “beti” Maryam Nawaz and that Imran Khan cannot cover up his crimes against the country using such mean language and behaviour: “People who couldn’t even respect Masjid-e-Nabvi’s sanctity wouldn’t know how to respect the nation’s women — mothers, daughters, sisters…. [Imran] set out to fix a nation and ended up plummeting to such lows of uncivilized behaviour.”

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, while speaking to the media in London, lashed out at Imran for his comments about his daughter; “he knows nothing of women’s respect in a Muslim society. He quotes Madina ki Riyasat but acts and speaks like someone you wouldn’t even see in a sordid society in the world”.

The PPP, meanwhile, called on all women to boycott the PTI gatherings, with Asif Ali Zardari saying that all respectable households with women being part of them would not engage in such language.

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb of PML-N tweeted a still from Imran’s jalsa with the caption: “Despicable. IK thy name is Filth, its place is only in the gutter of history”.

Condemning Imran’s comments, WAF Lahore called for women to protest against “the filthy misogynistic statement”. The WAF calls for an immediate apology from Imran Khan and calls on all Pakistani women and men to protest against shameful comments. From Munizae Jahangir to HamidMir and Gharidah Farooqi, most journalists strongly condemned Imran Khan’s remarks.

Calls for apologies continued to be made by all those who condemn Imran Khan’s statement.