On Friday night, PTI Chairman Imran Khan made an offensive comment about PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz during an address in Multan. Politicians, journalists, and members of civil society have criticized Khan for his “sexist and misogynist” remarks.
During his jalsa, Khan talked about Maryam’s speech in Sargodha on May 19 where she constantly criticized him. He said, “Someone sent me Maryam Nawaz’s speech from Sargodha yesterday.”
“She kept saying my name over and over in that speech, which made me want to tell her, “Maryam, be careful! Your husband might get mad at you because you kept saying my name.”
After he said those things, politicians and members of civil society took to social media to criticize him.
PM Shehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also Maryam’s paternal uncle, took to Twitter to say that he strongly disagreed with what Imran Khan said and that everyone in the country, especially women, should strongly condemn the “deplorable language used against the daughter of the nation, Maryam Nawaz.”
“Your low-brow humor can’t cover up the crimes you’ve done against the country and the people. How could people who don’t respect the holiness of Masjid Nabawi (PBUH) be expected to respect the honor of someone’s mothers, sisters, and daughters?”
He kept going: “Imran is the first leader of a political party in history to behave in this rude way. His group went out to build a country, but instead, they hurt the morals of the people. We belong to Allah, and we will go back to Him.”
Asif Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari, a former president, criticized Khan for what he said about the vice president of the PML-N. He said that the insulting language used by the PTI chairman was wrong.
“People who live with their mothers and sisters don’t talk like that about other women,” the PPP co-chairman said. “Please don’t go to such lows for politics.”
He also said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s message to the nation was that everyone’s mother, sister, and daughter should be respected.
“I wish someone would also write a letter to the chief justice of Pakistan based on what they have seen,” he said. “Then he would pay attention to the situation.”
Marriyum Aurangzeb
On Twitter, Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also said that Khan’s statement was wrong and that the coalition government was trying to protect Pakistan’s mothers and daughters from “this evil.”
“These are the same people who want to stop women journalists from criticizing their parties by calling them sell-outs,” she said.
Sharjeel Memon
PPP leader Sharjeel Memon said in response to the event: “The things Imran Niazi said about Maryam Nawaz are very wrong. This shows how well he has trained and how dirty he thinks.”
Farhatullah Babar
Ex-senator Farhatullah Babar stated: “What a shame the former prime minister is. Getting to new lows. Freely falling into the pit with no bottom.”
Mehr Tarar
“Imran Khan’s comment about Maryam Nawaz is very rude and something he should never have said about anyone, anywhere. I think it’s wrong, and I’m not going to make excuses for it “writer Mehr Tarar put it in writing.
Cyril Almeida
Cyril Almeida, a senior journalist, said, “They don’t love IK in spite of all this, they love IK because of all this.”
Rehman Khan
A journalist who used to be married to Rehman Khan, the head of the PTI, wrote on Twitter, “I am very ashamed that I ever knew such a bad person.”
She also liked how polite Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was and didn’t like how rude “a 70-year-old man” was.
“He doesn’t respect either his own wife or the wives of other people.”
Adil Shahzeb
Adil Shahzeb, a journalist, wrote that it was “shameful” for IK to say such things about a female politician.
“This person has no idea what a mother, sister, or daughter means. He can’t have his own daughter, but he gives speeches to the whole country about making Pakistan the state of Madinah.”
