Capt Safdar's remarks about women suffering from illness draw criticism, including from CM Maryam

Capt Safdar's remarks about women suffering from illness draw criticism, including from CM Maryam

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s spouse, retired Capt Muhammad Safdar, has come under fire for disparaging remarks about women advocating for bodily autonomy. Speaking at a Khatm-i-Nabuwwat rally in Chiniot earlier this week, Safdar took aim at the slogan “mera jism, meri marzi” (my body, my choice). He questioned why women who assert control over their bodies turn to religious scholars for prayers when diagnosed with serious illnesses such as cancer. “They say, ‘My body, my choice.’ But when they fall ill or develop cancer, they turn to religious scholars, seeking prayers and blessed water for a cure. They should understand that if they claim ownership over their bodies, they should also be able to cure them. In reality, the human body is under God’s control,” he said. On Friday, 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 chief minister’s mother, Kulsoom Nawaz, passed away in 2018 after a months-long battle with cancer. “Heartbreaking,” the chief minister said, posting an emoji of a broken heart. “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. Apart from CM Maryam, users on social media also took issue with Safdar’s remarks. “My [mother] has been a cancer patient, and God knows how we managed to get through those difficult times. Her survival was nothing short of a miracle. Listening to Capt Safdar’s remarks on this matter is utterly shameful and disgraceful!” said TV anchor Ajmal Jami on X. He also thanked CM Maryam for her “thoughtful and compassionate words for all those brave women”. Another user, Maheen Ghani, said: “So a woman who says ‘mera jism, meri marzi’, which is essentially about autonomy and consent, loses the right to ask for prayers when she gets cancer? Is that seriously the argument? “To take a woman’s illness, her fear and her faith and turn them into an opportunity to humiliate her. What an ugly, twisted understanding of both women’s rights and religion.” On the other hand, some, like journalist Benazir Shah, lauded CM Maryam for speaking out. “It takes real courage to take a public stand like this. More power to you, Maryam Nawaz Sharif,” she said. Lawyers’ bodies condemn remarks about Asma Jahangir Meanwhile, two premier lawyers’ bodies on Saturday strongly condemned Safdar for his remarks about Asma Jahangir – a renowned senior lawyer and human rights activist who passed away in 2018. During the 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 against the concerned. “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 serious exception over 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.” The SCBA also strongly condemned derogatory remarks by Safdar against women and an illness that was “being valiantly fought back by hundreds of thousands of women across the world”. “At a time when women are breaking barriers, such remarks are disgraceful and entirely unacceptable,” the SCBA said. “What makes this conduct even more shameful is that his own spouse holds the highest office of Punjab chief minister, and he himself is the father of a daughter; he should have been ashamed of making such insensitive and degrading remarks directed against the women,” it said. These statements may also attract penal consequences, the SCBA reminded and called upon the concerned authorities to take immediate and strict notice and proceed in accordance with the law. “Such divisive, offensive, and intolerant attitudes must be firmly challenged and nipped in the bud. “Let it be clear to all and sundry, we will not remain silent when the dignity of our legal fraternity, the legacy of a human rights champion, and the respect owed to women are attacked,” the SCBA statement said. Nasir Iqbal from Islamabad also contributed to this report.