ISLAMABAD: Women leaders from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) defended Prime Minister Imran Khan’s heavily criticized comments linking the way a woman dresses to a man’s temptation in an interview with HBO.
Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul and PTI MNAs Maleeka Ali Bokhari and Kanwal Shauzab held a press conference a day after women opposition leaders lambasted the Prime Minister for his ‘condemnable’ comments.
Zartaj Gul asserted that the PTI-led federal government mobilised women for the first time in Pakistan. “A woman like me became a member of Parliament from a tribal area,” she said, adding that there are five women in the cabinet for the first time.
She expressed the belief that Prime Minister Imran Khan was a ‘symbol of women’s empowerment’. “We are proud of the freedom that religion has given us,” Gul said, adding that women’s empowerment was not possible without law enforcement.
“Our culture and way of dressing are idolised across the world. They wish and try to dress like us graceful Pakistanis,” she said, adding that no ‘liberal corrupt’ would be allowed to be a spokesperson for Pakistani society.
The Climate Change minister further said, “My culture has given me respect, Islam has taught me modesty. Do not try to distort the things said in the Holy Quran.”
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Secretary for Law Maleeka Bokhari asserted that she was proud to be a member of parliament under the leadership of ‘a man who prioritised the protection of women and children’.
“Under PM Imran’s leadership, the two-finger test was abolished,” Bokhari said, adding, “Because we realise the difficulties that women have to face, we ensured that they get their inheritance rights. No other premier has called for such a law.”
Bokhari further said that women’s protection was not guaranteed through just words and required laws, legislation and implementation. She called on citizens to see the premier in light of the realities and steps taken by him.
Shauzab, meanwhile, believes that if you are among those who are “fighting” against the premier’s statement in his HBO interview, then you are disagreeing with the orders of Allah.
She said the Prime Minister explained the commands of Allah regarding women. “We are proud to live in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Shauzab said, adding that our society does not accept obscenity.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments
Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again drawn intense criticism after he reiterated that a rise in sexual assault cases was linked to how women dress.
In an interview on HBO, interviewer Jonathan Swan asks if the PM thinks what women wear has any effect on the temptation that leads to rapes. To which, PM Khan said, “If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they’re robots. I mean it is common sense.”
Swan further asked, “But is it really going to provoke acts of sexual violence?” Maintaining his stance, Khan proceeds to elaborate, “It depends on which society you live in.”
“If in a society people haven’t seen that sort of thing, it will have an impact on them. Growing up in a society like yours, maybe won’t impact you. This cultural imperialism, whatever is in our culture must be acceptable to everyone else,” he added.
