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CJP expresses regret over 'sexist' comment


ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar has expressed regret over the use of a controversial statement comparing the quality of a speech to the length of a woman’s skirt during a judicial conference in Karachi last week.

During the hearing of a case pertaining to a tax matter on Wednesday, CJP Saqib Nisar said his address had been made controversial social media. He added that if he regrets if his comments had disheartened people.

In his address, the CJP had repeated late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s quote:  “A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt: long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.”

Shortly after the conference, a video of the speech given by the CJP surfaced on the social media, inviting ire from users.

Women’s Action Forum urges top judge to apologise for ‘sexist’ comment

The Women’s Action Forum (WAF) on Monday released a statement in protest of the remark. “It is disappointing to hear the highest judicial authority in our country using women’s bodies to illustrate a point about public speaking in this manner,” the statement said. “It is especially a setback for women lawyers who practice in a male-dominated profession, as it is such statements that cause the alienation and marginalisation of women in the legal field.”

“Given the global conversation today about the impact of discrimination on women’s lives, ranging from casual sexism in the workplace to sexual assault, the statement is particularly tone-deaf, tasteless, and unbecoming of the Chief Justice of any country,” it added.

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    Original news : https://tribune.com.pk/story/1616655/1-cjp-expresses-regret-sexist-comment/