Capt Safdar under fire over remarks on women and cancer as Maryam Nawaz calls them ‘heartbreaking’
Retired Captain Muhammad Safdar, a PML-N leader and the husband of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, has come under sharp criticism for remarks about women and serious illness made at a religious rally in Chiniot earlier this week.
Speaking at a Khatm-i-Nabuwwat rally, Safdar took aim at the slogan “mera jism, meri marzi” — “my body, my choice”. He asked why women who assert control over their bodies turn to religious scholars for prayers when they fall seriously ill, including with cancer, saying they should then be able to cure themselves.
A video of the speech spread quickly online. On Friday, 30 October, Maryam Nawaz responded on X to a post noting that Safdar had lost his own mother-in-law, Kulsoom Nawaz, to cancer in 2018. “Heartbreaking,” she wrote, alongside a broken-heart emoji, adding: “Some battles are fought in silence and some wounds are invisible.”
The backlash widened on Saturday, 31 October, when the Pakistan Bar Council and the Supreme Court Bar Association condemned remarks Safdar made about the late human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir, whom he called “cursed”. Both bodies called on the authorities to take notice and act under the law.
Why it matters
The row puts Maryam Nawaz in an awkward position: publicly distancing herself from her own husband’s words while leading Punjab’s government. Her response drew praise online, including from television anchor Ajmal Jami, who said his own mother had been a cancer patient and called the remarks shameful.
The lawyers’ bodies said the remarks about Jahangir — a former Supreme Court Bar Association president who died in 2018 — attacked the dignity of the legal community and the legacy of a human rights champion. The Supreme Court Bar Association said such remarks could attract penal consequences, and that differences of opinion must never become an excuse for personal attacks or religious intolerance.
What happens next
Both lawyers’ bodies have demanded immediate notice and legal action, but it is not yet clear whether any formal complaint or case will follow. Whether Safdar apologises or stands by his remarks is the next thing to watch, as is the reaction inside the PML-N.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://www.dawn.com/news/2041177/capt-safdars-remarks-about-women-suffering-from-illness-draw-criticism-including-from-cm-maryam (Dawn, 31 October 2026)
- https://www.pakistanpoint.com/en/story/2280701/captain-retd-safdar-faces-severe-criticism-over-contr.html (Pakistan Point, 31 October 2026)
- https://voicepk.net/2026/10/bar-councils-slate-captain-safdar-over-remarks-on-asma-jahangir-and-call-for-legal-action/ (Voicepk, 31 October 2026)
