Pakistan's former PM Nawaz Sharif under fire for using sexist remarks against PTI women supporters
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan's former premier Nawaz Sharif on Friday came under fire in the Senate for allegedly using sexist remarks at his homecoming rally over the weekend.
Sharif returned to Pakistan on October 21 after about four years of self-imposed exile in London and addressed a big rally of supporters in Lahore, his hometown.
In the heat of emotions, he attacked the women of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for dancing at the party's rallies.
“Where are our sisters? Look how respectfully our sisters are listening to this rally. There is no one dancing to music here. Do you understand what I am saying or not,” he said, pointing towards his women supporters present in the rally.
Though uttered in the heat of emotions and without openly using any derogatory words, his opponents objected to his tone.
The matter echoed in the Senate where PTI’s Senator Walid Iqbal criticised the former premier by saying that Sharif should be taught by someone how to “respect women”.
“Altaf Hussain (former chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement) also talked against women and had to apologise later,” Iqbal said.
When Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani intervened and asked Iqbal to avoid making a political statement, the latter responded by saying: “I am not making a political statement.” Earlier, former PTI woman lawmaker Maleeka Bokhari took to social media to object to the reference towards the PTI women supporters.
“A convicted former premier openly passing sexist and misogynistic remarks about the political participation of women. Of course, he believes that only his daughter, Maryam has the entitlement and right to do politics and should be treated with respect,” she said on X.
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BJP using women's quota bill as front to pass Delimitation Bill that will break India: Mamata
Cooch Behar (WB) (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law in Parliament as a front for the Delimitation Bill that would "break the country into pieces".
The TMC will fight this Central government's move at every step, she asserted at her party's poll rally here.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to tweak the women's quota law, along with the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, to implement the proposed amended women's quota law, in the Union territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
According to the Constitution amendment bill, Lok Sabha seats will be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats will also be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
Opposing the Centre's move, Banerjee alleged that "the BJP brought the Delimitation Bill while keeping the women's reservation bill at the front".
"The BJP is trying to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to nearly 850 through the Delimitation Bill. It will break the country into pieces," the TMC supremo said.
She also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not speaking the truth about the development of north Bengal at a BJP rally last week.
"The prime minister said nothing was done for the development of north Bengal. But we spent Rs 1.72 lakh crore on the development of the region," Banerjee said and asked Modi to cross-check data before making such remarks.
