After the backlash for his abhorrent remarks on the ground of the Senate a few days in the past, our {Defence Minister} Khawaja Asif, who, by the best way, has a tragic historical past of passing sexist remarks in parliament, has give you a typical clarification, one worthy of a misogynist of his cadre.
Khawaja Asif claims that when he referred to his girls colleagues as “characterless” and “filth” the opposite day, there was no gendered undertone to his phrases, which is to say that he didn’t describe them as such as a result of they had been girls.
After which, in one other blatant show of ethical and mental buffoonery, he went on to say that as proponents of gender equality, girls ought to develop thicker pores and skin towards such remarks as a result of, when confronted with related assaults, males should not seen protesting. This argument, which is a product of sheer ignorance, is only a notch away from the wanton “meninist” rubbish that’s thrown round each time a person is known as out for his misogyny. If males can take it, why not girls, they ask. Is it not discrimination towards males that the principles are totally different for them? No, it’s not.
Let’s take this chance to highschool Mr Asif and the numerous in his ranks about how after centuries of systemic oppression, institutionalised discrimination and maltreatment stemming from societal norms and prejudices, a easy software of “equality” doesn’t treatment the scenario and absolve you of duty.
Recognise your privilege, Khawaja Asif. You had been born a person, a Punjabi, and a Sunni Muslim in a society the place girls need to wrestle for essentially the most primary of rights, the place sexual violence towards girls stays unchecked, and the place their “honour” (daaman, as you stated in parliament) hangs by the thread of male approval.
Let me ask you this as a person conscious of his privilege — can a lady politician in our society survive allegations of licentious behaviour like so lots of your male colleagues who proceed to maneuver about unscathed regardless of damning video and audio leaks? Is that this the pseudo ‘equality’ you’re speaking about? It has to work each methods, Mr Asif. Until the day a lady in Pakistan may also shrug off a scandalous video leak with out shedding her standing in society (and politics), please cease along with your faux equivalences which do nothing greater than unveil your lack of empathy.
Reasonably than conceal behind the façade of ‘gender equality’, it’s time males such as you recognise their privilege and concede that even a long time of affirmative motion or constructive discrimination wouldn’t be sufficient to steadiness the scales.
So, Mr defence minister, as an alternative of making an attempt to defend the indefensible, it’s higher to apologise in your phrases and lead by instance.
Khawaja Asif, our indefensible defence minister, wants education on gender equality – Remark
