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In June, people reacted strongly to former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry saying women shouldn’t join the police force. Three months later, he’s back on our feed and this time he’s saying women shouldn’t drive scooters.

Quoting a post from the BBC News Punjabi about women in Punjab increasingly using scooters to get around and organising scooter rallies in different cities to promote better mobility for other women, Chaudhry said “Most of the girls are horrible drivers”. He said encouraging them to drive themselves around was akin to “putting their and others’ lives in danger”.

Naturally, X was having absolutely none of his nonsense, with users expressing a mix of shock and disgust at the blatant misogyny.

Netizens asked Chaudhry if he had the numbers to back his claims — or if he was just pushing a TikTok conspiracy.

People asked him if he thought men riding bikes in Pakistan — who generally consider turn signals to be entirely optional —were good drivers.

A couple of users pointed out why it was important for women to be able to drive independently, especially in a place like Pakistan.

Users asked why, if he felt women weren’t great drivers, Chaudhry didn’t advocate for better driving training instead of telling women to stay off the road.

One user, however, had a slightly different suggestion.

The truth is, the former minister’s misogyny ignores the realities women face in Pakistan — both on the road and at home. Being able to drive scooters, especially during organised rallies, gives them a way to prove they can live their lives without patriarchal dependence.

And as the girls interviewed by the BBC will tell you, even when they can drive around, they keep getting stared at, chased and hit by men on bikes who might be more deserving of Chaudhry’s — and everyone else’s — criticism.