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Member of the National Assembly Sharmila Faruqui said actor Danish Taimoor’s recent remarks about four marriages being allowed in Islam “reduces marriage to a power play, where a man’s so-called restraint is framed as an act of generosity rather than a basic expectation of loyalty and respect”.

Taimoor and his wife Ayeza Khan, recently appeared on Mehfil-e-Ramzan — the Ramazan transmission he hosts alongside Rabia Anam. At the tail-end of the episode, entirely unprompted, he threw in his thoughts on multiple marriages in Islam. He has since apologised for his comments.

Addressing his comments in an Instagram post, Faruqui said, “Danish Taimoor’s remark — that he is “allowed” four marriages in Islam but is ‘doing a favour’ to Ayeza Khan by not marrying again — is not just arrogant, it’s a blatant reflection of how men manipulate religion to suit their own dominance.

“Polygamy in Islam is not a privilege handed to men at their convenience; it is an exception under strict conditions of justice — conditions most men fail to meet,” she wrote.

“Ayeza Khan’s quiet smile, whether out of grace or societal conditioning, only highlights how deeply ingrained these attitudes are,” the MNA said, adding that women were expected to nod along while their worth was diminished in casual jokes.

“This is the real problem: men believing that women owe them gratitude for not being discarded or replaced.”

Faruqui emphasised that women did not need favours, rather they needed respect, agency and the recognition that marriage is a partnership, not a charity.

In his Ramazan transmission appearance, Taimoor said, “If God has given permission for something, then He has given permission for it. That I’m not doing it, is a different matter. I say this in front of her (Ayeza Khan) and today I’m saying it in front of everyone, I am allowed to marry four times. That I’m not doing it is another matter entirely. God has given me this permission, so no one can snatch that right from me. But it’s because of my love and respect for her, that for now, I want to spend my life with her.”

He faced widespread criticism not for his thoughts on polygamy, but for the way in which he stated his opinion in front of his wife and the use of the word “filhaal” or “for now”. Many argued that in stating his opinion in such a manner, he humiliated his wife on national TV. On Wednesday night, he issued an apology video, saying his choice of words was perhaps poor.