Chief justice expresses regret over 'sexist' remark

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Wednesday expressed regret over his remarks in a recent speech in which he compared the length of a good speech to a woman’s attire.

The chief justice during a speech made on January 13, 2018 in Karachi had quoted former British prime minister Winston Churchill as saying, “A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt, long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.”

His remark didn’t seem to go down well with women as a group of female lawyers protested against his choice of words to illustrate art of speech, prompting him to tender apology.

“If my address in Karachi hurt anybody, I express regret. I didn’t meant to hurt” CJP Nisar said while hearing a tax matter.

He lamented that his speech was made controversial on social media.

The Women Lawyers’ Association (WLA) had expressed disappointment over the chief justice’s remark, urging him to choose his words with care.

In a statement it had termed his quote of the former British premier “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”.