PM’s taunt demeaning to women: Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said Prime Minister Imran Khan “is only insulting himself” when he passes remarks such as ‘Sahiba (Madam)’, Geo News reported.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House on Thursday, Bilawal said: “Referring to a man as a woman does not harm the man but what sort of message does this send to the women of Pakistan? That our Prime Minister is saying that being a woman is an insult?”

He added: “This is Pakistan and here women stand shoulder-to-shoulder with men. If there was no Fatima Jinnah would Pakistan exist? If there was no Fatima Jinnah, who would have opposed Ayub [Khan]? We are the first Muslim country to elect a woman Prime Minister.”

He added: “We are proud of the women of this country. We think they should be given space in politics, economy and society. If Khan Sahib thinks passing a comment like this he is insulting anyone, he is only insulting himself. He is this country’s Prime Minister and he should hold his tongue.”

Commenting on statements the Premier was referring to him as “Sahiba” was a “slip of tongue”, Bilawal said: “The amount of slips of tongue by this Prime Minister is more than the speed of light. Slips of tongue should not happen because it insults the entire nation. So many slips of the tongue happen when we have a selected PM.”

The PPP chairman appealed to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to travel with the Prime Minister so such slips of the tongue can be avoided.

Meanwhile, women MNAs from opposition parties protested against Prime Minister Khan referring to Bilawal as “Sahiba” during his public address in Wana on Tuesday. As the National Assembly session resumed on Thursday, the women MNAs from opposition parties protested against the Premier’s remark and demanded that they be allowed to speak on a point of order. They surrounded the speaker’s dais and tore copies of the day’s agenda after Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan rose to address the session.

The deputy speaker then gave the microphone to PPP MNA Nafisa Shah to raise the point of order. Speaking on the point of order, Shah said: “This is an insult to the post of Prime Minister. If the Premier does not take back his words, I will say that he is not my Prime Minister. Whenever the Premier says something, it is said that it was a ‘slip of tongue’. I am not doing politics but standing in solidarity with women.” She demanded that the Prime Minister should come to the Parliament and apologise to the women. “If the Premier doesn’t do this, then from here to Wana ‘Go Imran Go’ will echo,” Shah stated.