Imran Khan owes apology not just to Maryam but to all women: Pak rights group
May 21, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], May 21 : The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Saturday came down heavily on former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan after he made a sexist comment against Pakistan Muslim League-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz during his Multan rally which led to outrage in the country.
Severely criticising Imran, the rights group said Imran Khan's vile remarks about Maryam at the PTI's Multan rally have "plumbed the depths of misogyny."
"It is simply unacceptable that the political narrative should crumble into such glaring intolerance and sexism," the HRCP said in a tweet.
"Mr Khan is a national leader. He must learn to conduct national conversations with his political rivals. He owes an apology not just to Ms Sharif but to all women," the group added.
Earlier, while addressing the Multan rally, Imran Khan citing Maryam Nawaz's Sargodha rally said, "In that speech, she uttered my name with such passion that I would like to tell her, Maryam, please be careful, your husband may get upset because you were constantly repeating my name."
After his comment went viral, politicians, journalists and civil society members from around Pakistan criticized Khan for his "sexist and misogynist" statement.
Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also happens to be Nawaz's paternal uncle, expressed strong disapproval of Imran Khan's statement and said that the entire nation, especially women, should strongly condemn the "deplorable language used against the daughter of the nation Maryam Nawaz."
"Your crimes against the country and the nation cannot be hidden under your lowly humour. How could those -- who cannot respect the sanctity of Masjid Nabawi (PBUH) -- be expected to respect the honour of someone's mothers, sisters, and daughters?" Sharif tweeted.
"Imran is the first person in history to fall into this abyss of rudeness as the leader of a party. His party went out to make a nation but spoiled the morals of the people instead. To Allah, we belong and to Him, we shall return," he added.
Condemning the derogatory language used by the PTI Chairman, former President Asif Ali Zardari said "Those who have mothers and sisters in their homes do not use such language against other women."
"Please, do not stoop so low in the name of politics," he added.
