Prime Minister Imran Khan is playing on a sticky wicket these days. Known for his charismatic appeal especially in the female audiences, the former cricket superstar is nowadays in a tight pickle over his recent remarks while trying to explain the rising rape cases in Pakistan. It is being interpreted that Mr Prime Minister believed this sharp increase indicated the “consequences in any society where vulgarity is on the rise.” Women activists and human right campaigners were quick to jump to conclusions. There was a a swift uproar on social media with countless statements from not just netizens but reputable institutes the likes of the Human Rights Commission. However, the PM office claims that Mr Khan is being misstated and taken iut of context by international media. The ensuing hullaballoo has made it instantaneously crucial for the skipper to make his case himself. He should come foward with a clarification himself. Relying on his not-so-credible team of advisors would only add fuel to this giant firework. Holding little to no credibility, this team of controversy-mongers do not hold much significance in this scenario. PTI supporters are, in the meantime, holding their grounds that their leader just wanted to make a statement on purdah and the liberal brigaide has jumped to the foray by linking the two individual statements together. They maintain that there was literally no connection between not observing decency and being subjected to rape. What an unfortunate mix-up! On the other hand, his critics are openly castigating him for such simplistic comments. They believe that it would only help substantiate the misogynistic approach that frames the narrative of sexual violence in Pakistan. Already, a vast majority of the country treats victims of these crimes as criminals; placing the responsibility of the assault on them. The pervasive “honour” code has put the onus of “doing more” on women. Yes, it would have been wise if PM Khan could have worded his stance better. He would, under no circumstances, have wanted his discourse to be twisted to reinforce the manifestation of victim-blaming in the mindsets of his citizens. But the fact that international media did not bat an eyelid before jumping on the bash-Imran bandwagon speaks tremendously about the scourge of gossip. The barrage of criticism against him leaves little space for clarification from the PMO. With people like Jemima Goldsmith casting him in the midst of criticism and reputed publications busy profiting off masala journalism, things are about to get direr. But the so-called champions of women’s rights fail to justify their complacency in wake of Donald Trump’s repulsive comments about women. The fact that his lewd “locker room banter” about sexually assaulting women did not dampen his presidency prospects is a slap in all those faces busy smirking at our poor handling of rape cases. For those in India painting hatred campaigns against Khan, the viral videos of BJP legislators watching pornography inside the assembly and reported accounts of Congress leaders bringing escorts to party sessions deserve just as much castigation. This publication cannot even begin to fathom the agony of those who have faced the horrific tragedies of abuse. As someone sitting in power, PM Khan should have known better than to let the patriarchal myths get the better of him. Let’s just hope he takes notes and be vigilant of how he expresses what he wishes to preach in the future. After all, the whole world is just waiting for any open grounds to launch a brigade of daggers his way. *