Jemima blasts Imran over rape comments Cites Quranic verse

LONDON: Film producer Jemima Goldsmith on Wednesday blasted her former spouse, Prime Minister Imran Khan, over his controversial comments linking the crime of rape with vulgarity, Geo News reported. Citing a verse from the Holy Quran, Jemima said the onus of the horrific crime of sexual assault is "on men". "Say to the believing men that they restrain their eyes and guard their private parts," she wrote on Twitter, citing the verse from Surah An-Nur. PM Imran Khan's former spouse lamented at how he has changed over time, saying she still hopes that it was "a misquote/ mistranslation".

"The Imran I knew used to say, 'Put a veil on the man's eyes not on the woman'," she added.

Earlier this week, the Pakistani premier had linked "fahashi," or vulgarity, with the concerning rise in cases of sexual violence, including rape.

His comments came during a session wherein he was taking calls from the public when a citizen had asked what the PTI government planned to do in the light of rising incidents of sexual violence, especially against children.

PM Imran Khan had responded by shifting blame, saying there were some fights that governments and legislation alone could not win and that the society must join in the fight.

He had also reiterated his prior stance about his visit to the UK, saying the "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll" culture was taking off there during the '70s. Divorce rates "have gone up by as much as 70% due to vulgarity in that society", he had claimed.

The whole concept of pardah, or covering up or modesty, in Islam, is to "keep temptation in check", the premier had said. There are many such people in society who "cannot keep their willpower in check" and that "it had to manifest itself in some way".