EVEN for someone who wears his misogyny on his sleeve, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s ugly outburst in a joint session of parliament on Tuesday betrayed singular uncouthness.

Lashing out at criticism by opposition parliamentarians for “bulldozing” bills by the government, he singled out PTI’s women lawmakers and derided them as the “remains” and “ruins” of party chairman Imran Khan.

“This is the garbage left behind which has to be cleaned,” he said. As if that were not derogatory enough, he later added: “Depraved women should not lecture on chastity.” In a patriarchal culture, casting aspersions on women’s ‘character’ is low-hanging fruit.

For male politicians, it is the quickest way to try and ‘shame’ female opposition figures into silence; Mr Asif and others of his ilk should know that this reprehensible line of attack betrays their own intellectual bankruptcy.

Strategically deployed misogyny aims to trivialise women’s work and their views, and keep them on the peripheries — passive onlookers rather than individuals making an impact on society.

Such demeaning attitudes should be considered especially unacceptable in a country with a massive gender gap in economic participation and opportunity because they reinforce the ‘perils’ that lurk in the public space should women ‘dare’ to venture forth.

One would imagine then that at least female parliamentarians would find common cause in standing united when they are targeted in this manner, whether through direct jibes or sly innuendo. Unfortunately, in a polarised atmosphere, even misogyny is politicised.

It is decried when it emanates from the opposing camp, condoned when one of their own resorts to it. Women PTI legislators who rightly denounced Mr Asif’sremarks had either stayed silent or rushed to defend their party chairman when he made deplorably crass comments about Maryam Nawaz at a rally last year.

Similarly, on Tuesday, the PTI women got no support from their compatriots who appeared to be willfully ignoring the blatant sexism on display.

Even female lawmakers from the PPP chose to stay silent; this is the party that gave Pakistan its first woman prime minister and which recently issued a show cause notice to a prominent leader from its own ranks when he made light of sexual assault. All members of the House of representatives should unequivocally condemn sexist language, no matter who utters it. That is a red line that none must cross.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2023