Imran Khan, cricketer-turned-politician and founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party, plans to turn the country into a “Naya Pakistan”. But he raked up a controversy recently when during an interview he said that “Western feminism has degraded the role of mothers”.
Mr Khan told the interviewer that his mother played a deeply influential role in his upbringing. “Children learn from their mothers. Mother tongue comes from mother.. I disagree with the feminism movement that has degraded the role of a mother,” he said in an interview with Hum News.
His comment started a debate on social media and amid a barrage of criticism, he did find some support. Mr. Khan, who aspires to be Pakistan’s next Prime Minister, was called irresponsible, misleading and asked if he knew what “feminism” meant.
He was schooled by Twitter user Ali Abbas who wrote, “The movement of feminism seeks to establish equal opportunities for women and end partiarchy, and advocates women rights. I’d now seriously doubt moral values of the one who would support/vote for him or any of the candidates that he nominates.”
Another voice on Twitter advised, “Rather than degrading women worldwide for wanting equality. Why don’t you ask the incredible woman who has raised your children single handedly and also supports Tyrian Khan what motherhood and feminism truly is.”
Through Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s words, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tried to explain that women have to side by side with you for the country to prosper.
His former wife Reham Khan who is battling crticism over leaked extracts of her upcoming tell-all book said:
Some, however, argued that Mr Khan never said that women shouldn’t get equal rights, and how “feminism does look down upon motherhood”.
Lahore-based writer Mehr Tarar said, “Just because he has old fashioned views about certain concepts and movements, that in no way, in my opinion, makes him misogynistic (the word that’s liberally and incorrectly used for everything these days) or anti-women rights.”