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.
