ISLAMABAD: PTI MNA Mohammad Iqbal Afridi on Friday sparked controversy by objecting to the attire of a high-ranking K-Electric official, inviting criticism from fellow lawmakers and political figures.

The distasteful incident occurred during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Power, where Mr Afridi expressed concerns over the KE representative’s dress after she had delivered a briefing and exited the room.

Though Mr Afridi was not a member of the committee, the lawmaker from NA-27 (Khyber) was in attendance to discuss issues related to load-shedding in Karachi and the tribal region.

Describing the KE representative’s attire as “objectionable”, Mr Afridi argued that standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be made about women’s clothing in official settings.

House committee apologises for ‘inappropriate remarks’; minister calls on party to take disciplinary action against uncouth lawmake

He was of the view that such attire could negatively influence societal norms, particularly on the behaviour and perceptions of children.

“If people attend such gatherings in this manner in a respectable society, what will children say? There should not be such democracy here that ruins a society,” Mr Afridi said, adding that allowing such dress in public spaces could “risk ruining the system”.

Later, committee chairman Mohammad Idrees apologised for the incident.

“It was inappropriate to object to her attire,” he said, adding that Mr Afridi’s remarks may have stemmed from a misunderstanding.

“What he [Mr Afridi] did would have happened under some misunderstanding. Even if it happened [without any misunderstanding], I apologise,” said Mr Idrees, who had presided over the meeting.

Mr Afridi’s comments were met with an angry backlash from political leaders.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman termed his objection “regrettable and condemnable,” questioning why male MNAs felt entitled to police women’s clothing.

Ms Rehman emphasised that the KE official had earned her position through her qualifications and should have been respected accordingly.

“Such objections reflect a conservative and patriarchal mindset that seeks to control women by targeting their clothing,” the PPP leader said, stressing that this mentality hinders the pursuit of gender equality in Pakistan.

“Women should be judged by their ideas and services, not by their appearance or attire,” she asserted.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar also criticised Mr Afridi’s remarks, calling on the PTI to take disciplinary action against him.

He stated that harassment of women was “unacceptable under any circumstances” and described the incident as an example of “PTI’s fascism coming out in the open”.

The incident has sparked a debate about gender equality and the rights of women in professional environments, with many urging political parties to address and prevent such behaviour among their ranks.

Dr Shahida Rehmani, secretary Women Parliamentary Caucus (WPC), said that the incident was regrettable, adding that no amount of condemnation for such incidents would suffice.

“But until when will we keep condemning [such incidents]” she asked in a video message, adding that “elements” such as the PTI MNA were “burdened by slave men-tality” and wanted to “keep women subjugated forever”.

“There is a law for it,” she said, requesting the NA speaker to register a first information report (FIR) against such members.

She also called for the suspension of their Parliament membership, adding that commenting on the clothing of women was highly condemnable given that women had climbed their way to such honourable positions because of their ability.

“The constitution of Pakistan and Islam give women the freedom to wear whatever they want and if they [women] are to progress, it would be based on their ability,” she said.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2024