Nusrat Sahar forgives Imdad Pitafi over offensive remarks

KARACHI: Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) MPA Nusrat Sahar Abbasi announced in the Sindh Assembly hall on Monday that she is forgiving Imdad Pitafi after he put a traditional shawl on her head, calling her his sister.

Sindh Minister for Works and Services Imdad Pitafi left his seat and headed over to Nusrat Sahar's seat, where he draped a traditional shawl over the PML-F leader's head and apologised to her.

Nusrat accepted his apology and said that she had forgiven Pitafi for the sake of the shawl. 

"For the sake of this dupatta and because he called me his sister, I am forgiving him. It is a tradition in Sindh that when a shawl is used as a sign of forgiveness, then the other person accepts it," she added.

She said it is upsetting when arguments like the one that broke out between her and Pitafi take place in the assembly.

“What happened on Friday should not have taken place, it's regrettable,” Nusrat Sahar said in the assembly hall. “My son’s and my feelings were hurt.”

“I had decided of taking an extreme step to set myself on fire to obtain justice,” she maintained. “But Bilawal and Bakhtawar Bhutto understood me.”

'Lesson for all to take a stand'

Speaking to the media outside the assembly afterwards, Nusrat Sahar said that the incident is a lesson for the party leadership, all members and everyone else that women must be respected.

"It is also a lesson for all women that we must take a stand against the issues we face in our day-to-day lives. We must speak out and we must stand up," she added.

Thanking everyone who supported her through the ordeal, Nusrat reiterated that such incidents must never be allowed to happen again.

"I belong to an area in Sindh where very few women get opportunities to move ahead in their lives. Very few women from my area make it to the assembly," she said, stressing that she did not want any women to face harassment at work. 

"My character is in front of you all. I have never humiliated anyone in my life. I have always worked to improve communities, my society. Yet this happened to me."

The PML-F leader said she appealed to Bilawal because he is still seeking justice for his mother Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.

"He is still shouting for justice for his mother's assassination. Women even in the assembly are not getting justice."

"But it is a respected tradition in Sindh that when someone covers a woman's head with a shawl, treating her as his mother or sister, then the apology must be accepted," she continued.

"It is out of respect for this tradition that I am forgiving Imdad Pitafi," she said. 

Nusrat Sahar had threatened prior to the assembly session that she would set herself on fire if Imdad Pitafi was not removed as provincial minister in the next two days.

Clutching a bottle of petrol in one hand, the PML-F leader had threatened that she would douse herself in petrol and burn herself if justice was not served in two days.

She had given an ultimatum of two days to the Pakistan People’s Party to fire Sindh Minister for Works and Services, Imdad Pitafi.

“Working women are harassed,” she had said, referring to her heated argument with Pitafi a few days back. “My children are asking Bilawal for justice.”

Pleading to the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto and his sister Bakhtawar Bhutto for justice, she had alleged that this was not just her personal matter now but an issue for all women who were harassed at workplaces. 

"I am being stopped from doing my work," she had said, adding that her family was forcing her to stay indoors and give up politics after Pitafi's remarks. 

Pitafi's apology

Although Imdad Pitafi had earlier apologised to Nusrat Sahar for his comments, Nusrat Sahar had refused to let go of the matter until an inquiry was carried out against the services minister.

“I made a mistake in the assembly and am apologetic over that,” Pitafi had told the media earlier. “I will apologise to Nusrat Sahar in the assembly.”

PPP Sindh President and Parliamentary Leader in the House, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro had issued a show cause notice to Pitafi over the incident, after Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had taken serious notice of the media reports of the matter. 

The remarks were made during Friday’s Sindh Assembly session following an argument between the two. Nusrat Sahar had mocked the language skills of Pitafi, insisting that the PPP MPA read an answer out – which was written in English.

While responding to PML-F MPA, Pitafi had asked her to come to his chamber to listen to the answer. Nusrat Sahar was offended by the use of the phrase ‘come to my chamber’ as it has negative connotations attached to it. 

'Deputy speaker should have taken action'

Opposition leader in Sindh Assembly, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Khawaja Izhar criticised the deputy speaker over the incident, saying she should have taken action when the argument broke out between Nusrat Sahar and Pitafi.

“Sometimes even the deputy speaker enjoys the assembly session,” he told the media at the assembly on Monday.

Izhar added that he hoped Nusrat Sahar would forgive Pitafi.