In an interview with Judy Woodruff of PBS NewsHour, Prime Minister Imran Khan clarified that his previous comments about rape were taken out of context.
“Anyone who commits rape, solely and solely that person is responsible. So let’s be clear about that. No matter how provocative the woman is or whatever she wears, the person who commits rape is fully responsible. Never is the victim responsible,” said PM Khan.
“More than rape, there is child abuse [cases] which are going through the roof, so my comments were in that context,” said PM Khan.
The premier stated that he used the word “pardah”, adding that the word does not just mean clothes or is restricted to women only. He said that “pardah” is also for men and means to “bring down temptation in a society”.
“And I have to say because I know all the interviews I have given. Never would I say such a stupid thing where a person who is raped is somehow responsible. It is always the rapist that is responsible,” added the premier.
Woodruff also questioned the PM if he believes that in his country the importance of Islam complicates PM’s ability to take a stronger stand against violence against women.
“Absolutely not. Islam gives dignity [and] respect to women,” the PM responded to her question. He added that after traveling all over the world, he found that in Muslim countries, women are treated with more respect.
“In Pakistan, even in other Muslim countries I have seen, women [are] treated with far more respect and given more dignity,” said PM Khan.
The PM admitted that there are “odd cases” in relevance to the respect of women but he explained that such a situation was “everywhere in the world”.
“But you look at the situation in Pakistan even now, I mean look at the rape cases here, compared to Western countries, they are minuscule,” said the PM.
The premier accepted that there are problems in Pakistan and he linked them to “cultural problems”. He then went on to say that such cultural problems exist in every nation and are resolved with cultural evolution and the right education.
“As far as a woman’s dignity and respect goes, I can say after going all over the world, this [Pakistani] society gives more respect and dignity to women,” concluded PM Imran.
Last month, in an interview with “Axios on HBO” with Jonathan Swan, PM Khan had said that “if a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots”. His statement was heavily critised and he came under fire for his reaction to the rising cases of sexual violence in Pakistan.
