Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif calls PTI women lawmakers ‘garbage', draws flak

Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif sparked a massive uproar after he referred the women parliamentarians of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party as ‘garbage’.

He made the remarks while responding to criticism by parliamentarians, including PTI Senator Ali Zafar, of the government’s attempt to “bulldoze” bills in the parliament.

“Depraved women should not lecture on chastity,” Asif was heard saying during a live broadcast of the session.

After a woman parliamentarian responded, Asif said irrespective of what he says, they would use the “woman card”. “They will say, ‘We are women and how he is talking about us.’,” he added.

Remarks condemned

The minister then pointed towards of the PTI women lawmakers in the parliament and called them “remains” and “ruins” of Imran Khan.

“This is the garbage left behind” by the PTI chief, “which has to be cleaned”, he added.

The remarks drew strong condemnation from the PTI women lawmakers who demanded that Asif’s words be expunged from parliamentary records.

The defence minister, however, continued with his address amidst the protest, saying, “He (Imran) doesn’t have the courage to appear in courts today … And they defend him. How brave and courageous will be a person who is defended by women?”

Speaking after Asif, Senator Taimur said that only one’s moral character and conduct differentiated people.

“I was worried at the language being used by such senior political figures, I’ve never heard such words in my house.”

She said it was “sad” that fellow Members of the National Assembly had used words such as “garbage” and “barking”.

“We don't respect someone else when we don't consider our own self to be respectable,” Taimur added.

Words expunged

Following a massive outcry, the National Assembly speaker called for order in the House and the word ‘garbage’ was expunged, Dawn newspaper reported.

The PTI termed the remarks “absolutely shameful”, saying that the defence minister's remarks were a clear attempt to “depoliticise women”.

Notably, this is not the first time that Asif used derogatory terms against women.

In 2016, he was criticised for making offensive statements against then-PTI MNA Shireen Mazari during a National Assembly session.

In 2017, he also sparked an outcry after referring to Firdous Ashiq Awan, Former Federal Minister for Population Welfare of Pakistan, as the PTI's “newly acquired dumper," according to Dawn.

(With inputs from agencies)

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