A number of critics of the prime minister say that his statement amounts to issuing a clean chit to rapists and putting blame on victims. They reminded the chief executive that a number of women in rural areas and little children, who dress appropriately, are assaulted by criminal minded people, asserting their ordeal was not triggered by their way of dressing, but rather a culture of impunity and victim blaming that was not allegedly promoted by the prime minister only but his religious mentor Maulana Tariq Jameel as well who held women’s immodesty responsible for a number of evils. Other clerics also issued similar statements several times in the past.
Ironically, the interview of the prime minister was released in the aftermath of a terrible sexual assault on a boy in a seminary in Lahore. The incident flies in the face of Khan’s claim that a revealing dress of women could have an impact on men, unless they are the robots. The incident in Lahore clearly indicates that power is one of the factors leading to such horrific crimes.
Ironically, the interview of the prime minister was released in the aftermath of a terrible sexual assault on a boy in a seminary in Lahore.
Some believe it is not the victims that should be blamed but the culture of impunity that is responsible for the rise in sexual assaults. According to some estimates, 11 rape cases are reported every day in Pakistan while more than 22,000 sexual assaults have taken place in the last seven years. The rate of conviction is very low, with only 0.3 percent of the accused brought to justice.
It is also believed that a number of such cases go unreported because of the stigma attached to the issue. Some rights groups claim only 41 percent of rape cases are reported to the police and even those registered cases do not make much progress. For instance, from January 2015 to November 2020, around 22,037 cases of abuse were registered. Of these, 4,060 cases remained pending for a long time.
This is not the first time that the prime minister has lectured the world about morality and modesty, highlighting the destructive effects of obscenity and the western culture. What is new this time is the height of sycophancy that was demonstrated by the female parliamentarians of PTI who went out of their way in defending this outlandish statement. It seems that such blind followers of the party chief are devoid of critical thinking. First, they adopted criminal silence over the abuses hurled by special assistant to prime minister Ali Nawaz Awan in the National Assembly a few days ago, and now they are throwing support behind a statement which cannot be defended by anyone with a modicum of common sense. It seems that the female parliamentarians of PTI preferred party loyalty over the dignity of women.
The incumbent prime minister in the past expressed his expert views on the coronavirus, besides stunning the Iranian president by revealing that Germany borders Japan. He also expressed his contempt for the poor people by stating that the poor should not take part in politics because if they do, they might indulge in corruption.
The sagacious PTI chief also surprised the world by declaring Osama Bin Laden a martyr and never retracted his statement. Such uncalled for statements added injuries to the wounds of not only the victims of 9/11 terror attacks but tens of thousands of Pakistanis as well who were targeted by the TTP and the followers of Al Qaeda. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi embarrassed millions of Pakistanis by evading a question over the slain global terrorist during an interview. One fails to understand as to why the foreign minister could not summon enough courage to categorically declare a man terrorist who issued religious decrees against the state of Pakistan, sowing the seeds of chaos that pushed the country towards a conflagration that the people of Pakistan snuffed out with their blood and struggle. A few weeks ago, Qureshi also made remarks regarding the Jewish influence in the US, which did not go down well with the international audience, creating embarrassment for Pakistanis and overseas Pakistanis. It is believed that people handling foreign affairs are maverick thinkers. They weigh their words before making any statement but this does not seem to be the case in the land of pure.
It is not Khan and the foreign minister who have issued what some called irresponsible statements in the past but others also have the same history. State Minister Ali Mohammad Khan and Minister for Kashmir Affairs Sheharyar Afridi have issued statements that went against the interests of Pakistan, providing an opportunity to enemies of the country to exploit them. Such an irresponsible attitude clearly indicates that the PTI leaders know very little about the complexities of the diplomatic world.
Recently, a provincial minister of KP heaped praises on the Afghan Taliban, ignoring the founder of the Taliban movement who was also idealized by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Such a statement at a time when the sword of FATF is dangling over our heads is not appropriate. It seems that the ruling elite is making Pakistan a laughing stock through their reckless attitude.