We review five times Imran Khan has blamed the victim for some of the nation's worst tragedies.
On the Murree tragedy
“Shocked (and) upset at tragic deaths of tourists on road to Murree. Unprecedented snowfall (and) rush of people proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared.”
When more than 20 tourists, many of the family members, died trapped in the snow on their way to a weekend holiday in Murree, the country was astounded with grief. But perhaps even more shocking were comments from Imran Khan and those around him seemingly linking the tragedy with the tourists' own failure to 'check weather conditions.'
Terming grieving families of Hazara coal miners 'blackmailers'
“I have sent them a message that look, when all of your demands have been met, then to demand that we will not bury them until the prime minister doesn’t come, no country’s prime minister can be blackmailed like this [...] Because then everyone will blackmail the prime minister of the country," the prime minister had said in January last year.
The murder of 11 Hazara coal miners in Balochistan shocked the country. Grieving relatives sought relief and justice from the government, however, Imran Khan instead insisted that he was unable to travel to Quetta to attend the funerals because the victims' demands amounted to 'blackmailing'.
On sexual assault (x3)
1): "In the past, the respect the women were getting in our country was nowhere to be seen in the world. In the West, women did not get that respect which they used to get here. Sexual crimes are on the rise due to misuse of mobile phones. We need to educate our children about the supreme qualities of Seerat-e-Nabi (PBUH)."
In August last year, a woman was groped by hundreds of men while out with a friend at the Minar-e-Pakistan park. Instead of discussing the lack of safety for women in public spaces, Imran Khan blamed a 'misuse of mobile phones' for the violent attack.
2): “If a woman is wearing very few clothes it will have an impact on the man unless they are robots. It’s common sense.”
During an interview with Axios journalist Jonathan Swan, Khan attempted to portray a stable and measured head of state, but instead he came across as flatfooted and out of touch when asked about the seeming rise in sexual violence in Pakistan. The premier seemingly shifted the blame onto women 'wearing very few clothes' and explained that 'men are not robots'
3): "What is the concept of purdah? It is to stop temptation. Not every man has willpower. If you keep on increasing vulgarity, it will have consequences."
Imran Khan received international condemnation for his comments alleging that sexual assault was due to the 'increasing vulgarity' in Pakistan. Women's rights activists from across the globe were appalled by the prime minister's seeming misunderstanding and mischaracterisation of rape and sexual assault.