CM Maryam rebukes spouse over women jibe

PBC, SCBA censure Safdar over remarks about Jehangir

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD:

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has publicly voiced her dismay over derogatory remarks made by her husband, Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar, about women advocating for bodily autonomy.

Speaking at a Khatm-e-Nabuwwat rally in Chiniot earlier this week, Safdar took aim at the slogan "mera jism, meri marzi" (my body, my choice).

Maryam responded to a post on X regarding the speech, which stated: "Maryam Nawaz's husband, Captain Safdar, also lost his mother-in-law to cancer, yet here he is mocking women who are battling cancer."

"The silent battles a woman, a wife, fights behind closed doors … The strength she must find even when she feels like breaking. Some battles are fought in silence and some wounds are invisible," she said.

Meanwhile, lawyers' bodies on Saturday strongly condemned Punjab Chief Minister Maryram Nawaz husband Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar for his remarks about Asma Jahangir – a renowned senior lawyer and human rights activist who passed away in 2018.

During a rally, Safdar had called the late lawyer "cursed".

Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Vice Chairman Pir Muhammad Masood Chishti, as well as the 28th executive committee of the outgoing Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), regretted the remarks and urged public representatives to exercise restraint and uphold dignity in their statements.

Chishti called upon the relevant authorities to take immediate notice and initiate appropriate legal action.

"The use of disparaging language and references to her religious identity to malign her is highly regrettable and deserves strong condemnation," the PBC vice chairman regretted, adding that making such remarks against a deceased woman, who was no longer alive to defend herself or respond, was particularly "deplorable and reflects a lack of decency and respect".

The PBC vice chairman observed that differences of opinion must never become a pretext for personal attacks, hate speech, character assassination or religious intolerance.

"The invaluable services and contributions of the late Asma Jahangir to the legal fraternity, human rights and the rule of law deserve respect and recognition," he emphasised.

Likewise, the 28th executive committee of the SCBA strongly and unanimously took exception to the recent remarks by Safdar.

"These remarks are highly condemnable and have deeply wounded the sentiments of the entire legal community," the SCBA said, adding that Jahangir was a devout Muslim who dedicated her life to justice, humanity, and the rights of all people, without discrimination.

"Her services to humanity and human rights transcended religious boundaries and to make such hateful remarks about her was not only deeply disrespectful but also an insult to all those who continue to honour her legacy. She stood for the rights of every individual without discrimination."