According to the media, celebrated preacher Maulana Tariq Jamil also apologized to the nation for his controversial statements about women, which had sparked mixed reactions in mainstream and social media.
Under Prime Minister Imran Khan's Ehsaas Telethon, who wanted to raise money for the government's coronavirus utility on April 23, Jamil, who was invited to a prayer, said that the COVID-19 pandemic was partly due to "the dishonesty" of women.
He had also called media in Pakistan and around the world to "tell lies".
The comments sparked outrage on social media among prominent human rights defenders and some ruling Pakistani ministers of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and urged Jamil to apologize for his "disobedient" and "derogatory" statements.
We will not accept the targeting of women on the pretext of such ludicrous accusations. We in Pakistan have fought hard for claiming our rights as enshrined in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) April 24, 2020
My goal was to point out that we are all responsible for our current state. It should be a general comment, not aimed at specific men, women, people or genders, but rather recalling what Allah teaches us, ”Jamil said early Tuesday morning in a series of tweets.
Recently I made some comments that I wish to clarify
— Tariq Jamil (@TariqJamilOFCL) April 27, 2020
My aim was to point out that WE are all to blame for our current state. It was meant to be a general remark not targeting any specific men, women, persons or gender, but as a reminder to get closer to what Allah teaches us.
The pastor also said that his "goal was to remind all of us to focus on the spiritual and away from our desires and materialism."
As I've learned over the years, I am the first to admit that there is no excuse for making malicious comments about someone or making someone feel uncomfortable. "
Thanks for the clarification. Really appreciate it. You have a lot of supporters and this will send a clear signal to those who try to interpret your words to appeal to women, 'wrote the Federal Minister for Human Rights, Dr. Shireen Mazari as she repeats Jamil's apology.
Thank you for the clarification. Really appreciate it. You have many followers & this will send a clear message to any who seek to misinterpret your words to target women. In the same spirit, even though my tweet on the issue of women being targeted did not mention you, https://t.co/M8FBjrbMo5
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) April 28, 2020
