Pakistan PM Imran Khan again shows his regressive mindset; blames women's clothing for rapes

"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," says Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Vipin Vijayan

Islamabad, First Published Jun 21, 2021, 2:21 PM IST | Last Updated Jun 21, 2021, 2:59 PM IST

Prime Minister Imran Khan has been caught on the wrong foot once again with his sexist remarks on women's clothing and rape.

In an interview with Axios Political Correspondent Jonathan Swan, Imran Khan said that if a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots.

"It is common sense," the Pakistan Prime Minister said.

Questioned about the 'epidemic of sexual violence in Pakistan, Imran said, "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."

Asked if wearing clothes really be blamed for sexual violence, the Pakistan Prime Minister said, "It depends which society you live in. If in a society people have not seen that kind of thing (women in lesser clothes), it will have an impact on them. If you grow up in a society like yours (Jonathan's), it will not impact you. This cultural imperialism -- whatever is acceptable to our culture must be followed by everyone else -- is wrong."

Imran Khan's remarks triggered a massive backlash on social media.

This is not the first time that Imran Khan has made a statement blaming victims for sexual violence.

In April this year, the Pakistani prime minister faced flak from human rights and women's rights groups in the country for saying on national television that the concept of the veil (purdah) in Islam is to avoid temptation in the society and that not everyone in the society has the will power to control temptation.

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