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ISLAMABAD: The Civil Society today (Thursday) staged a protest against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement linking how women dress to cause a rise in rape cases.
They were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the Prime Minister’s statement. Talking to M.M News, the demonstrators said that PM Khan’s remarks not only displayed “a baffling ignorance of where, why and how rape occurs, but it also lays the blame on rape survivors.”
“Fault rests solely with the rapist and the system that enables the rapist, including a culture fostered by statements such as those made by PM Imran Khan,” they added.
PM Imran made the comments on a live television show earlier this week when he was asked what the government was doing to curb an increase in sexual violence against women and children.
The Prime Minister acknowledged the seriousness of the problem and pointed to the country’s strict laws against rape. However, the premier said, women had to do their part. “What is the concept of purdah?” he said, adding, “It is to stop temptation. Not every man has willpower. If you keep on increasing vulgarity, it will have consequences.”
Seeking to tamp down the anger, PM Khan’s office issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the prime minister’s remarks had been misrepresented.
“The prime minister spoke about the societal responses and the need to put our efforts together to eliminate the menace of rape completely,” the office said in the statement. “Unfortunately, part of his comment, consciously or unconsciously, has been distorted to mean something that he never intended.”
