Pakistan premier criticized for comments on sexual violence

Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing growing criticism at home for seemingly blaming a rise in sexual violence in Pakistan on women wearing “very few clothes.”

ISLAMABAD -- Prime Minister Imran Khan faced growing criticism at home on Tuesday after seemingly blaming a rise in sexual violence in Pakistan on women wearing “very few clothes." His comments drew nationwide condemnation from human rights activists and the country’s opposition, which sought an apology. The controversial statements aired over the weekend came in an interview on Axios, a documentary news series on HBO. “If a woman is wearing very few clothes it will have an impact, it will have an impact on the men, unless they’re robots," the prime minister said. “I mean it’s common sense.” Asked directly by interviewer Jonathan Swan whether the way that women dress could provoke acts of sexual violence, Khan said: “It depends on which society you live in. If in a society where people haven’t seen that sort of thing, it will have an impact on them.”