Asif denies misogyny intent in NA outburst

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has but one condition for offering apology for the vitriolic comments he passed while pointing at some female PTI lawmakers during a joint sitting of parliament on Tuesday: He wants them to condemn the allegedly misogynist comments of their leader Imran Khan.

Asif, a stalwart of the ruling PML-N, on July 25 described the PTI’s female lawmakers as “leftover ruins. “They are leftover waste. [PTI’s] garbage is left over which needs to be cleaned,” he said while speaking on the floor.

Unfazed by a loud protest by the opposition members and emboldened by the tacit support of treasury benches, Asif, who has a history of passing such comments, continued his vitriol as he hit back at a retort by an opposition MP.

“Depraved women should not lecture on chastity,” he said, adding that the women would play up the “woman card” if he said something more.

On Thursday when the defence minister was allowed to speak in reference to his derogatory remarks after passage of the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2023, Asif tried to explain his position.

He said PTI Senator Ali Zafar on Tuesday objected to the passage of bills, saying that the government was bulldozing the laws. “I referred to the night when 54 bills were passed in one or two minutes [during the PTI rule]; the people [involved in it] who have done the same should not lecture us on it.”

“To explain this, I made a remark which was not gender specific. Absolutely not,” Asif said. He said it was “their” choice if they wanted to see his remark in the wrong context.

The minister said when it comes to gender equality in the house, the male parliamentarians never protested against the remarks made against them. “If they claim gender equality then they should tolerate such references,” he added, sparking a press protest by opposition members.

When Asif was allowed to speak again, he said the PTI chief had also passed derogatory remarks against PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz as well. “I’ll apologize if they apologize for what their leader said about Maryam Nawaz,” Asif said.

He reiterated that his Tuesday remark was not misogynistic.

 “I did not make any remark against the [PTI] women. There were male 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.

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.