The act of keeping tab on who's wearing what is one of the favorite (unwanted) activities of the moral police in our society. And if that wasn't enough, they also have a ready list of what one should wear. Take the case of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) senator Mufti Abdul Sattar. Sattar on Friday made a sexist remark on MQM senator Nasreen Jalil while targeting her for wearing a sari and started a discourse on how muslim woman should be dressed. "It is mandatory in Islam for women to cover all parts of their body except the face, hands and feet," preached Sattar. The irony is that Sattar is a member of the same human rights committee that Jalil chairs.

Senator Mufti Abdul Sattar went on to say that "able and intelligent" women like her should be a role-model for younger women and that she should have the "appearance of a muslim women". After Sattar's diatribe, the 74-year-old Jalil reminded Sattar of her age and even told him about the attempt on her life and how she had "dodged death" recently. After this, Twitter went into a frenzy and women decided to reply to Sattar's misogynist and sexist remark.

Nasreen Jalil is a very competent Senator, known for her dignified demeanour. She wears her trademark sari with the utmost grace, so don’t appreciate why this untoward rebuke on her personal choice was even made. Such misogyny is rampant in politics and should not be tolerated https://t.co/wJotAnYGpZ

— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) February 10, 2018

Twitter users were unsparing in their attack on misogyny and blatantly called out on the sexism prevalent in parliament.

Things an urdu speaking woman parliamentarian faces in the Islamabad. Misogyny, sexism, ethnic discrimination over her sartorial choices and illiterate goons questioning her ability to do her job because she wears saris https://t.co/gLYjsNSkHE

— T a z e e n (@tazeen) February 10, 2018

Some took this opportunity to remind that Nasreen Jalil has been a role model and that nothing better could be expected from a JUI-F senator.

What do you expect from a JUIF senator: and for the record she is a role model! https://t.co/6jglmBLKd7#sexist

— Sharmeen Obaid (@sharmeenochinoy) February 10, 2018

Senator Sattar was at the center of this storm that had messages which questioned his very behavior and was asked to first practice what he preached.

Senator Sattar should behave like a decent human being, but I guess that's too much to ask from these JUI types.

'You should be a role model for women': JUI-F senator objects to Nasreen Jalil's sari https://t.co/eIxrk4XO9M

— Mahwash Ajaz (@mahwashajaz_) February 10, 2018

Saari is such a beautiful elegant dress and Senator Nasreen looks absolutely graceful in it. Well Mr. Senator there's the thing "lowering your gaze" this concept applies to men firstly practise what you preach https://t.co/tL54hZ4HiQ

— Sadaf Jabbar (@sadafaj) February 10, 2018

There were demands made to frame a law on sexist comments in the parliament as this was not the first time that female parliamentarians had to hear misogynist and sexist remarks for their choices.

There must be law on sexist comments in parliament! It seems never ending! https://t.co/8uG8rv8zgq

— Shabnam Baloch (@shabnambalouch1) February 10, 2018

This outrage on twitter over senator Mufti Abdul Sattar's remark on Nasreen Jalil is just the tip of the iceberg. The reaction on twitter over Sattar's unwanted and lowly comment has taken twitter on storm and rightly so. Calling someone out on their sexist mindset is definitely a worthy act and more so in senator Sattar's case. Parliament is a place where laws are meant to be framed and discussed. It should not be allowed to become a platform for self-righteous individuals to decide who should wear what. There are important and more pressing issues that require attention like poverty, hunger, and diseases. Leaders and public representatives will do well to acknowledge the real issues rather than come up with such 'sorry/sari' issues.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 11, 2018 03:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).