'Many women are getting threats': Sherry Rehman criticises PM Imran Khan

PPP MNA Sherry Rehman on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying that many women were getting threats due to his recent remarks on women's dressing. 

Poking fun at the prime minister in a couple of tweets, Rehman wondered whether all men who treated women decently are" robots". 

"Didn’t realise we had such a large AI population," she tweeted. 

Rehman then said that the problem with the prime minister's statement was that many "non-robots" were feeling emboldened in their attacks against women.

"The problem is that many non-robots feel emboldened now to act out predations against women. They have been given sanction by a slew of spokeswomen too now citing culture, and society, no outlets etc. Many women are getting threats. So really, no laughing matter. Will PM apologise?" she wondered.

PM triggers social media outrage over comments on women's dressing

PM Khan, in a recent interview with Axios's Johnathan Swan, commented on his previous statement of rising cases of rape and sexual violence in Pakistan.

Referring to the prime minister's earlier remarks on vulgarity that triggered a backlash on social media, Swan had asked him:

"On increasing vulgarity, you said it will have consequences, and you were accused of rape victim-blaming. How do you respond to that?"

In response, the prime minister defended his earlier remarks, saying "it is such nonsense".

"I never said veils-- this was never said. I said the concept of pardah is [to] avoid temptation in society. We don't have discos here, we don't have nightclubs," he said.

"So this is a completely different society, a way of life here. So, if you raise temptation in the society to the point, and all these young guys have nowhere to go, it has consequences on the society," he stressed.

"Do you think what women wear--that, that's part of any temptation?" asked Swan.

"If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on men," the prime minister responded. "Unless they're robots. I mean, it's common sense."

"Yes, but will it really provoke acts of sexual violence?" asked Swan.

"It depends which society you live in," answered PM Khan. "If in a society, people haven't seen that sort of a thing, it will have an impact on them," he added.

His remarks led to angry responses on social media, with many accusing the prime minister of blaming women and the way they dress, for rising acts of sexual violence.