Women’s Action Forum (WAF), one of the oldest women’s rights groups in Pakistan, has condemned Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks on women, human rights and the Pashtun culture at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit earlier this month.
In a press release shared on issued today, WAF wrote, “the PM continues to misuse-abuse his public office to voice his personal regressive, misogynistic, racist views on women, Pakhtuns as an ethnic group, culture and fundamental human rights.”
“WAF is seriously concerned over escalating GBV [Gender Based Violence] incidents and attacks against young girls and women,” the statement continued, and decried the premier's, “blatant friendly overtures towards the Afghan Taliban de facto administration.”
Speaking at the OIC Summit, this year hosted in Islamabad, Imran Khan commented on Afghan and Pashtun cultural norms while he attempted to sound the alarm on the situation in Afghanistan.
“Every society’s idea of women’s rights and human rights are different,” he said. “When we are talking about human rights and women’s rights, we have to be very sensitive about this [cultural norms].”
He gave an example regarding girls’ schooling, a growing concern in Afghanistan, arguing that, “if we are not sensitive to the cultural norms of these people [Pakhtuns], even with stipends they won’t send the girls to school.”
WAF called on the Prime Minister to deliver a public apology, “addressed to all women, girls and Pakhtuns of Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
https://twitter.com/WAFIsb/status/1476471666783895552
In a press release shared on issued today, WAF wrote, “the PM continues to misuse-abuse his public office to voice his personal regressive, misogynistic, racist views on women, Pakhtuns as an ethnic group, culture and fundamental human rights.”
“WAF is seriously concerned over escalating GBV [Gender Based Violence] incidents and attacks against young girls and women,” the statement continued, and decried the premier's, “blatant friendly overtures towards the Afghan Taliban de facto administration.”
Speaking at the OIC Summit, this year hosted in Islamabad, Imran Khan commented on Afghan and Pashtun cultural norms while he attempted to sound the alarm on the situation in Afghanistan.
“Every society’s idea of women’s rights and human rights are different,” he said. “When we are talking about human rights and women’s rights, we have to be very sensitive about this [cultural norms].”
He gave an example regarding girls’ schooling, a growing concern in Afghanistan, arguing that, “if we are not sensitive to the cultural norms of these people [Pakhtuns], even with stipends they won’t send the girls to school.”
WAF called on the Prime Minister to deliver a public apology, “addressed to all women, girls and Pakhtuns of Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
https://twitter.com/WAFIsb/status/1476471666783895552