Prime Minister Imran Khan in an interview with “Axios on HBO” with journalist Jonathan Swan, which aired on 21st June, said that “if a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men unless they are robots” which has sparked outrage not only in Pakistan but globally as well.
When journalist Swan asked PM Khan about his earlier remarks on vulgarity and rape in Pakistan, PM said that it is “such nonsense”.
“I said that the concept of purdah avoids temptation in society. We don’t have discos here, we don’t have nightclubs, so it is a completely different society, and way of life here. So, if you raise temptation in the society to the point and all these young guys have nowhere to go, it has consequences in the society.”
Swan further asked: “Do you think that what women wear has any effect, that’s part of this temptation?”
“If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots. I mean it’s common sense,” replied PM.
His words regarding women’s clothing weren’t taken lightly by Pakistanis, who took to social media platforms to inform the honorable prime minister that the act of assault, rape, and harassment has nothing to do with a woman’s dressing. His words even made it to the international TV channels and even his former wife, Jemima Goldsmith, has criticized him for his insensitive remarks.
“If a woman is wearing very few clothes it will have an impact on the man unless they are robots. It’s common sense," Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said in an interview, which aired on Sunday.https://t.co/3uTLlbXsnh
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) June 21, 2021
Jemima stated that the problem is not how women dress!
I remember years ago being in Saudi Arabia and an elderly woman in an abaya & niqab was lamenting the fact that when she went out she was followed & harassed by young men. The only way to get rid of them was to take her face covering OFF.
The problem is not how women dress!— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) April 7, 2021
Jibran Nasir request Prime Minister Imran Khan to stop objectifying victims.
Dear PM @ImranKhanPTI stop humanising the rapists, abusers and harassers and stop objectifying the victims. You may not realise it but when you repeatedly stress upon the clothes of a woman as a cause for temptation leading to sexual violence you do exactly that.
— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) June 21, 2021
Children are sexually assaulted here. Corpses are defiled. Women in burqas, women in appropriate clothing are abused. These are statistics you can easily Google.
You know why you'd never rape a woman in a nude beach in Europe? Because you'd be shit scared of the law. https://t.co/p6g7tUqt8c— Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) June 22, 2021
Gharidah Farooqi is disgusted with the statement of Imran Khan.
Disgusted. Appalled. Outraged. Strongly condemnable. No, Mr PM Khan, women clothing is NOT responsible for temptation leading to rape/assault/violence. ABSOLUTELY NOT!
This is victim blaming and giving a pass to men. Don’t insult victims. Don’t justify rape as temptation.— Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) June 21, 2021
According to Shahmir Sanni, men should be held accountable rather than the way women dresses.
What is most heinous about Imran Khan’s justifications for rape, is that nearly every woman that has been raped in Pakistan has worn what he would prescribe as modest clothing. This has nothing to do with clothes, but just another man trying to escape accountability. It is sick.
— Shahmir Sanni (@shahmiruk) June 21, 2021
In a country where cases of sexual assaults are not reported, and victims do not come out of the fear of being blamed, it is sad to see that our Prime Minister, Imran Khan is promoting rape culture by propagating dangerous rape myths.