Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz responded on Friday to a post on X regarding remarks made by Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar.
The retired officer spoke at a Khatm-e-Nabuwwat gathering in Chiniot earlier this week. During the event, Safdar argued that women who advocate for the principle of 'My Body, My Choice' seek religious intervention and prayers when diagnosed with serious illnesses like cancer.
He claimed that if women insist their bodies are entirely their own, they should possess the ability to cure themselves if they fall ill.
Safdar stated, "Those who advocate ‘My Body, My Choice’ turn to religious scholars for prayers and blessed water when they are diagnosed with serious illnesses such as cancer. If they insist that their bodies are entirely their own, they should also have the ability to cure themselves. Ultimately, the human body is governed by God."
Maryam Nawaz described the situation as "Heartbreaking" and noted, "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."
Ajmal Jami, who shared a personal account of his mother's survival as a cancer patient, called the remarks by Safdar "utterly shameful and disgraceful."
Jami also expressed gratitude to the Punjab Chief Minister for her "thoughtful and compassionate words for all those brave women." Maheen Ghani questioned the logic of the retired officer, asking if a woman who asserts autonomy loses the right to seek prayers when she is ill.
The public discourse follows the 2018 passing of Kulsoom Nawaz after a months-long battle with cancer. Benazir Shah praised the Punjab Chief Minister, stating it takes real courage to take a public stand like this.
