PESHAWAR: The comments of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on marriage have generated controversy and people are criticising her for it, but there are many others who are defending her and saying that she was misquoted or people are taking wrong impression from a simple query.

So much so that the members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly could not resist posing a query in the provincial assembly, asking Malala’s family to clarify their position over the issue. On Friday, members of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) asked Malala’s family to explain their position.

The PPP MPA from Upper Dir Sahibzada Sanaullah raised the issue on a point of order. He wanted the government to probe whether Malala has really said which has been attributed to her in an interview which is circulating on social media and shared widely. He said marriage was a sacred institution in every religion and ‘partnership’ is not allowed, so if someone supports it then it is condemnable. He said this was a serious issue which needs clarification from Malala and her family.

The MMA lawmaker Inayatullah Khan said the remarks about marriage attributed to the education activist had damaged her reputation. He said Malala’s father should issue clarification if she said it mistakenly or she was misquoted. He said Malala is a Muslim and Pakhtun and her admirers expect her to follow principles related to her identity.

However, Nisar Khan of the Awami National Party (ANP) and Ziaullah Bangash of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) defended the position of Malala and her family on the issue. He requested his colleagues not to turn the matter into a controversy.

Ziaullah Bangash defended Malala and said she was quoted out of context which caused mental discomfort to her family.

The ANP lawmaker said Malala is a brave girl who faced terrorists with so much courage. He opposed the resolution moved against her in the House.

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmaker Naeema Kishwar also asked Malala’s family to clarify position on her interview.

Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani clarified that there was no resolution and instead the issue was taken up on a point of order.