Leaders of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) support and endorse the stance of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that obscenity was a major factor behind incidence of molestation and abuse of boys and girls, The News International reported on Friday.
But the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the prime minister's remarks not only displayed "a baffling ignorance of where, why and how rape occurs, but it also lays the blame on rape survivors," according to Sky News.
Khan is facing more backlash over comments he made linking an increase in rape cases with how women dress, including from his two ex-wives.
During a live television interview Tuesday, Khan advised women to cover up to prevent temptation.
He claimed that a rise in rape cases was one of the "consequences in any society where vulgarity is on the rise," The Scroll reported.
Jemima Goldsmith, British screenwriter and Khan's former wife, slammed him for blaming "vulgarity" in society for the rise in rape cases and sexual violence in Pakistan.
"Say to the believing men that they restrain their eyes and guard their private parts ... the onus is on men," Goldsmith commented on Twitter Wednesday, quoting the Qu'ran.
Khan's second wife, Reham Khan, also a British citizen, said the fact that some young kids were being sexually abused in Pakistan meant the prime minister had "a totally wrong way of thinking" about rape.
Khan, a former professional cricket player who was once a fixture in social circles in Britain, also said he had seen how "sex, drugs and rock and roll" caused high incidence of divorce in the country.
Khan even took a dig at India, saying the country is seeing similar situations after its movie industry begun taking "inspiration from Hollywood". New Delhi, he said, has now become a "rape capital."
His comments have triggered anger, and hundreds of Pakistanis have signed a statement demanding an apology from the prime minister for his regressive views.
