Rights bodies slam PM’s remarks on women attire

KARACHI: In light of the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent remarks linking women’s attire to the incidence of rape, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and other civil society organisations and feminist collectives in Karachi planned to organise protests to demand a public apology by the premier.

In this regard, leaders of the HRCP, Aurat March, Tehreek-e-Niswan, the Women Action Forum and other feminist initiatives will address a joint press conference today (Thursday) at Karachi Press Club to show their disapproval to the statement made by PM Imran Khan about women and rape.

It is also decided in a meeting that all civil society and women rights groups and individuals will organise a protest on Saturday (June 26). To make the protest on Saturday successful and ensure huge participation, the organisers of the protests have been seeking endorsement from various rights groups, individuals and professional bodies to raise a strong voice jointly against extreme anti-women tendencies and to end misogyny at all levels of government and the public.

Also, a large number of civil society and women rights activists on Wednesday attended the protest that demanded from Prime Minister Imran Khan to tender apology for his, what they called, anti-women remarks in which he had blamed the dressing of women for growing incidents of their sexual harassment.

Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) organised the protest that was organised in front of KPC. Addressing the protest, speakers said that the anti-women remarks of the prime minister show his reactionary mindset.

Rights activists Karamat Ali, Qazi Khizer, Zehra Khan, Nasir Mansoor, Fahim Siddiqi, Saeed Baloch and others spoke to the protestors.