Punjab Assembly Member and Chairperson of the Women Protection Authority Hina Pervaiz Butt has strongly criticized playwright Khalilur Rehman Qamar’s remarks on acid attacks, saying that such statements harm the ongoing struggle against violence against women.

In her response, Hina Pervaiz Butt said that acid attack victims face not only physical but also lifelong mental and social trauma, so it is extremely regrettable to present such crimes in a light manner. According to her, such attitudes in society make the path to justice more difficult for the victims.

During a conversation during a TV program, when acid attacks were mentioned, Khalilur Rehman Qamar had said that it was being talked about as if “men carry acid bottles in their pockets.” Hina Pervaiz Butt objected to this sentence on the spot and later repeated this position on social media.

In her social media statement, she said that this kind of thinking is tantamount to trivializing violence against women in society. She said that instead of understanding the pain of the victims, turning it into a joke or a general debate is a very irresponsible attitude.

Hina Pervez Butt further said that incidents like acid attacks are not just an ideological or debatable topic but a bitter social reality, which requires strict legislation, better implementation and collective awareness.