July 15, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
A recent statement by Professor Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami (South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), has sparked outrage after he declared that women “belong either to the home or to the grave.”
Civil society groups, rights activists, and political leaders strongly condemned the remarks as ‘misogynistic’ and ‘dangerous’, calling on JI’s central leadership to remove him from his position.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, the JI leader criticized the reopening of a women-only park in Bannu, calling it “a place of shamelessness” and “vulgarity.” He praised religious clerics for their previous efforts in forcing authorities to shut down the park in 2022 and urged them once again to mobilize against its reopening.
“Instead of focusing on critical infrastructure like roads, the Commissioner is more interested in opening a park in Bannu,” he said in the video. “I pay tribute to the ulema of Bannu who took a strong stance and forced the closure of this place of obscenity. Now, as it is reopening, I appeal to all ulema to raise their voice and demand the closure of this vulgar place.”
Link to the video of Ameer: https://x.com/YaseerSalah33/
Though once considered politically moderate, the recent misogynistic comments by Ameer Jamat e Islami have drawn widespread condemnation.
A history of targeting the park
The women-only section of a family park in Bannu Cantonment was originally established in 2020 to provide a safe recreational space for women and families. However, in August 2022, following repeated protests by clerics who claimed it was promoting “vulgarity,” the park was forcibly shut down by local authorities.
According to reports, students from local seminaries resumed protests in August 2022 outside the park and the Bannu Press Club, warning that authorities would be held responsible if the park remained operational. Protesters claimed that “no vulgarity under the cover of entertainment” would be tolerated in the district.
Civil society response
“Aurat March, Karachi strongly condemns the vile statement of Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami (KP, South), who said women belong ‘either to the home or to the grave.’ This is not just misogyny. It is a threat.
What he ignores is that women are not safe in homes or graves in Pakistan.
90% of women in Pakistan face domestic abuse. That means violence from their own partners or family.
Women’s corpses are not even safe. In 2023, several cases of necrophilia were reported. Families have had to guard graves at night.
But instead of addressing real violence, he is offended by a women-only park in Bannu. A space for joy, peace, and dignity threatens him—not rape, not murder, not abuse.
Because this has never been about protection. It is about control. Control over women’s bodies. Control over their choices. Control over their freedom. We demand Jamaat-e-Islami take action. Remove this Ameer. And to the women of Bannu: go to that park. Own that space. Women belong everywhere.”
“Outright Dangerous”: Aurat March
One of the representatives of Aurat March Karachi also spoke to Voicepk, warning that statements like those made by the JI Ameer not only endanger women but reinforce oppressive systems that already limit their freedom.
“Due to patriarchal constraints, mobility and basic freedom are restricted for many women in Pakistan. In this situation, making statements like this, as a religious cleric in a position of authority, is highly condemnable and puts the women of Bannu at further risk. By denying women the right to even go to women-only parks, Ameer Sahab wants to control their existence, as comments like these don’t come from a place of care for women’s safety.”
The representative pointed to alarming statistics and trends to show that such statements further endanger already vulnerable women and normalize abuse:
“NCHR reported that around 90% of women in Pakistan go through domestic abuse at some point in their life which usually happens at home, but Ameer Sahab and patriarchal figureheads like him aren’t concerned about women’s safety in their homes at all. Neither are they worried about the safety of women’s corpses in graves as necrophilia cases are also a rising concern in Pakistan.”
Drawing a parallel with a 2023 incident where local clerics called for banning girls’ sports in Bannu, the representative linked this mindset to a broader pattern of using religion to limit women’s freedoms:
“In 2023, a similar statement was also made by Ulemas in Bannu calling for the ban of sports for girls in the area, which shows deep-rooted religion-backed patriarchy, threatened by the mere free existence of girls and women. The purpose behind such statements is to impose the existing patriarchal status quo, threatening women to stay in their homes, making it easier for them to be abused, and denying them any chance at a liberated life.”
They concluded with a strong call for accountability.
“We hope that immediate action is taken against Ameer Sahab and all such authority figures, as comments like these aren’t just irresponsible; they’re outright dangerous. Such statements can influence other patriarchal people, pushing them to misuse religion, culture, and similar thought processes to keep women locked in their houses (or send them to graves).”
This statement reinforces the growing concern among rights groups and civil society that unchecked misogynistic rhetoric from political and religious leaders continues to normalize violence and discrimination against women in Pakistan.
“They want to control every breath of a woman”
Speaking to Voicepk, Jamila Gillani, Central Information Secretary of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), strongly condemned Prof. Ibrahim Khan’s statement, describing it as an outdated, patriarchal, and politically motivated attack on women.
“Religious parties in Pakistan have always played a role in dragging society a thousand years backward. They use religion to target women—it’s a political move. They seek attention and validation from the masses and the authorities, attempting to stay relevant. In doing so, they show solidarity with the Taliban,” she said.
Gillani further stated that the misogynistic mindset aims to suppress women’s agency completely.
“They do not want women to breathe freely. They want to claim every breath of a woman. Their religious worldview is built on controlling women. The phrase used by the Ameer—that women belong only in the home or the grave—is archaic and unacceptable in today’s world.”
Calling for collective resistance, she urged political forces and women across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to stand united.
“All political parties and women in KP should show solidarity against this statement. It doesn’t just undermine women’s freedom—it ignores the reality of life in Bannu. The people, especially women, live in a region afflicted by terrorism and unrest. They need safe public spaces to feel free and to heal. No one should take this right from them.”
Gillani also highlighted the hypocrisy in such positions:
“The real impact of such restrictions falls on the local and middle-class communities of the province. Their own party leadership and families mostly live abroad—the park’s closure doesn’t affect them. It affects the poor and the local women. This is blatant hypocrisy,” she said.
“In fact, many women leaders within Jamaat-e-Islami work outside their homes. This rhetoric is also disrespectful to them. It’s a contradiction that exposes the double standards within such parties.”
Tahira Abdullah: “This statement must be challenged”
Prominent human rights defender Tahira Abdullah, speaking to Voicepk, strongly condemned the JI leader’s statement and called for immediate disciplinary action. She emphasized the far-reaching implications of such rhetoric if left unchallenged, both for women’s rights and political accountability.
She called on Jamaat-e-Islami’s central leadership to immediately remove the South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ameer from his position:
“I strongly protest and condemn JI South Pakhtunkhwa Ameer’s evil statement, ref. Women’s Park in Bannu and I endorse Aurat March Karachi’s demand that the JI should immediately remove this misogynist man from such an important position.”
She emphasized that this is not just a matter of opinion but a breach of the party’s own stated commitments:
“In fact, he should be issued a show cause notice by the JI leadership, because he has violated the JI election manifesto.”
She questioned whether the Ameer’s misogynistic views also applied to women within Jamaat-e-Islami who have held public office for decades:
“Does he similarly also condemn the JI women who have been members of Parliament and provincial legislatures for many many decades?”
Abdullah warned that silence from political leaders and civil society would further embolden misogynistic narratives and limit what little autonomy women in Pakistan currently have:
“This man’s monstrous statement – if left unchallenged by us all; and if not retracted by himself; and if not refuted by the JI leadership – would negatively impact upon Pakistani girls’ and women’s freedom and autonomy – even the little that we have currently.”
Her remarks underscore the growing demand from rights groups and political observers for Jamaat-e-Islami to not only denounce the statement but also demonstrate accountability by taking visible and serious action against the Ameer.
A Deepening Crisis
The scale of gender-based violence (GBV) in Pakistan underscores the dangerous impact of misogynistic rhetoric from public leaders. According to the Sustainable Social Development Organization’s 2024 report, Mapping Gender-Based Violence in Pakistan, a staggering 32,617 GBV cases were reported nationwide this year. These include 5,339 rape cases, 24,439 incidents of kidnapping/abduction, 2,238 cases of domestic violence, and 547 honor killings.
Despite the scope of violence, conviction rates remain dismally low: just 0.5% for both rape and honor killings, 0.1% for kidnapping/abduction, and 1.3% for domestic violence.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the controversy around the women-only park is unfolding, 3,397 GBV cases were recorded in 2024. These included 258 cases of rape (with only one conviction), 134 honor killings (just two convictions), and 943 cases of kidnapping and abduction (also with one conviction). Notably, none of the 446 domestic violence cases in KP led to a conviction.
These statistics lay bare the systemic failure of the justice system and intensify concerns that leaders like Prof. Ibrahim Khan are choosing to attack safe public spaces for women instead of addressing the real, life-threatening violence they face daily.
Despite growing condemnation from civil society, politicians, and women’s rights activists, the party’s central leadership has yet to issue a response. Voicepk also tried to get a response from the JI leadership on the statement that has sparked widespread condemnation, but there has been no response yet.