Fawad Chaudhry calls women 'horrible drivers' amid bike campaign row

Former federal information minister Fawad Chaudhry has drawn criticism after writing on social media that most women are "horrible drivers" and should not be encouraged to ride bikes, according to Geo News and ProPakistani.

Chaudhry made the remarks in a post on X on 22 September while responding to a BBC News Punjabi report on women's growing use of scooters in Punjab. The report highlighted how two-wheelers were giving women greater independence in daily travel.

"Most of the girls are horrible drivers and must not be encouraged to use bikes!! This campaign is akin putting their and others lives in danger," Chaudhry wrote, as quoted by ProPakistani.

The comments triggered an online backlash. Maleeka Bokhari, a former party colleague, called the statement "absurd" and "misogynistic", Geo News reported. Journalist Alia Chughtai asked Chaudhry to "do better".

Several social media users challenged the claim and argued that road safety should be addressed through driving education and training rather than by discouraging women from riding. Others said women are careful drivers who stay in their lane, and some pointed to safety statistics as evidence that gender is not the issue.

ProPakistani reported that the BBC feature had shown women using scooters to improve mobility and reduce reliance on others for transport, and that users said such campaigns provide greater independence rather than creating a safety risk. The outlet said the comments have sparked a wider online debate over women's mobility, road safety and the role of initiatives promoting female scooter use in Punjab.

The remarks also revived criticism of earlier comments by Chaudhry. In June, he said: "Why are women opting to become police officers? Most of them are completely useless as cops; also, it's a terrible career choice even otherwise," according to Geo News.