KARACHI: Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) MPA Nusrat Sahar Abbasi on Monday forgave Sindh Minister for Works and Service Imdad Pitafi for passing indecent remarks after senior PPP and parties’ leaders intervened and convinced the opposition lawmaker to forgive the minister after her initial refusal to do so.
Earlier, rejecting the apology of Imdad Pitafi for the indecent remarks, Nusrat Sahar Abbasi had threatened to set herself on fire if Pitafi was not removed within next two days.
The outspoken female lawmaker came to Sindh Assembly with a bottle filled with gasoline. She said that she would douse herself in petrol and burn herself if justice was not served in two days.
She urged Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and her sister Bakhtawar Zardari to take action against the minister and get the minister de-seated from the membership of Sindh Assembly for using derogatory and indecent remarks against her.
“Working women are harassed,” she said, referring to her heated argument with Pitafi a few days back. “My children are asking Bilawal for justice,” she added.
“I am being stopped from doing my work,” she said, adding that her family was forcing her to stay indoors and give up politics after Pitafi’s remarks.
Although Imdad Pitafi has apologized to Nusrat Sahar for his comments. When Sindh Assembly’s session resumed, Deputy Speaker Assembly Shehla Raza, who was presiding over the session, gave floor to Pitafi for personal explanation.
Upon this the opposition members protested and agitated and did not let Pitafi to speak on personal expiation. On this the Speaker adjourned the session for 10 minutes.
During the break, senior parliamentarians in the house and other high-ups of the ruling party approached Ms Abbasi and convinced her to forgive Pitafi as Pitafi put a sheet on the head of Abbasi as per Sindh’s local tradition.
After this, Abbasi forgave the errant minister. When the session was resumed, Ms Abbasi while speaking on the floor of the house said that she forgave minister as per local tradition of Sindh. She said that there was a need to ensure that no woman should face such situation in the future.
She appealed to Bilawal Bhutto to ensure that no woman must be subjected to such remarks.
Pitafi while speaking in the house tendered unconditional apology to Ms Abbasi and the whole house. “I made a mistake in the assembly and am apologetic over that,” Pitafi told the house.
