Pak PM’s Ex-Wife Hit Out Against His “Purdah” Remarks

“What is the whole concept of observing the veil? It is so that there is no temptation in society,” Imran Khan said while advising women to cover up.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan stoked controversy during a live Q&A show called “Prime Minister On Call With You”, where he was quoted saying: “If you keep increasing vulgarity in a society, then definitely there will be this impact”.

Referring to the traditional Islamic practice of women wearing a veil, he said that it existed so “that there is no temptation in society.”

The Prime Minister’s comments came in response to a question raised by a caller about the government’s measures towards the increasing sexual violence, mostly against children.

“World history tells when you increase fahashi (vulgarity) in society, two things happen: sex crimes increase and the family system breaks down,” he claimed.

Reacting to the statement, Khan’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith took to Twitter and quoted Quranic verse lashing out at the Pakistan PM. Jemima, who was married to Khan from 1995 to 2004, tore into the misogynist statement by saying that “the onus is on men.” 

According to official data, there are at least 11 rape cases reported in Pakistan every day. In the past six years, over 22,000 rape cases were reported to police but only 77 accused have been convicted. Imran Khan’s “insensitive” remarks sparked an outcry on social media as netizens were ‘utterly disappointed by the ‘victim blaming’ and called Khan a ‘rape apologist’. 

Featured image: Instagram Khanjemima/AP

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Prithiva Gupta