Proceedings in the Sindh Assembly in Pakistan turned unruly last week when a woman lawmaker threatened to immolate herself after she was allegedly harassed by a male colleague on the floor of the House.
According to reports, Nusrat Seher Abbasi of Pakistan Muslim League – Functional (PML-F) threatened to set herself on fire if action was not taken against Imdad Pitafi of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) who made offensive remarks against her.
Nusrat, an MP in Sindh province, demanded stern action against Pitafi who had last week invited her to his private chamber on the floor of the House. The comment, she said, was sexual harassment.
A bottle of petrol clutched in one hand, Nusrat demanded that Pitafi be sacked from the post of minister for using abusive language against her.
“Everyone witnessed how I was harassed in Sindh Assembly. If Imdad Pitafi is not forced to resign or fired in two days, I will burn myself in front of the Sindh Assembly,” she told reporters here on Saturday.
“I urge you, Bilawal Bhutto, to get me justice. I know you have taken notice of the issue which means you are aware of the incident,” Nusrat added.
Later on Monday, Pitafi apologised to Nusrat on the floor of the Sindh Assembly.
“You are a sister to me and I apologise for my comments,” he said while draping a Sindhi shawl on her shoulder.
It was only after this that Nusrat announced that she was forgiving Pitafi.
"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 said.
Pakistani women have spent decades fighting for their rights in a deeply conservative country where so-called honour killings and acid attacks remain commonplace.
The country has passed several laws to increase protection available to women in recent years, some at the provincial level, but critics have warned that without proper enforcement they will have little impact.
Last year a bill passed in Punjab province redefined "violence" to include "any offense committed against a women", prompting an Islamic religious body to protest that men should be allowed to "lightly beat" their wives.
