Maryam Slams The Prime Minister For Remarks Regarding Sexual Violence

The Vice President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam Nawaz, recently slammed the remarks made by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan. According to her, the statement by the premier in which he blamed women’s clothing for sexual violence, is only a glimpse into his true mentality. 

She criticized him, saying that his words are only going to encourage criminals to carry on with these heinous acts. Maryam went on to call out the leader of the country, asking if the reason why young children are molested and sexually abused is their clothes.

These remarks were made by the leader of PML-N when she came for a hearing, to be held at the High Court in Islamabad (IHC). Her appearance in court was scheduled due to the sentences made against her father, Nawaz Sharif, who is the supremo of PML-N, as well as herself.

Earlier in the week, Jonathan Swan had been interviewing the Prime Minister on HBO, when he decided to question the latter about whether or not women’s clothing had an impact on men. The response from the leader had been that if women were to wear few clothes, men would be tempted, and thus, acts of sexual violence would become inevitable. 

Followed by the statement made by Khan, thousands of netizens took to social media to express their anger over his remarks. Swan directly questioned whether these clothes tempt men enough to rape women, and the premier stated that men are not robots. According to him, it is justified for men to be tempted if women start to show skin. 

Even after Swan rephrased his question to ask if a woman’s dressing is enough to provoke a man to carry out acts of sexual violence, the leader continued with his stance. Elaborating, he added that it all depended on the society these men and women are living in. In his words, society as restricted as the one that exists in Pakistan, men are going to be tempted. However, a woman’s clothing may not have an impact on men in Western society, he said. 

While giving her statement outside the IHC, Maryam also talked about the death of Senator Usman Kakar, the leader of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP). She said that many have raised questions regarding his death and therefore, a thorough investigation must be conducted into it. 

She remembered the deceased leader, adding that she believed he had been a knowledgeable person and had always been present at the meetings of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). She went on to add that she suspected that Kakar’s death had only been to silence him. According to her, forceful measures, such as murder, would only motivate people to speak up, rather than scare them into staying quiet. 

The senior leader of the PMAP, who was also a former senator, passed away on the 21st of June in Karachi. He had been admitted to a private hospital, located in the provincial capital of Sindh, for the past three days to receive treatment. He had been 60 years old at the time of his death.