Pak: Imran Khan defames female journalist, says bound to be harassed if she invades male space

Islamabad [Pakistan], October 19 (ANI): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Tuesday made a derogatory remark about a female journalist, saying that she was asking to be trolled and harassed as she invaded male-dominated spaces.
The PTI Chief made remarks, responding to a question on the situation of female journalists in the country during a conversation with delegations of the National Press Club and the Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), the News International reported.
“If she would invade male-dominated spaces, then she is bound to be harassed,” implying that the journalist is “asking for it,” Imran Khan said, targeting journalist Gharida Farooqui.
However, later Khan defended himself and said that he would issue special orders regarding the safety concerns of female journalists in PTI jalsas.
Khan did not just stop after making derogatory comments about female media persons but also accused journalists of being paid, adding that the term has been used for senior journalist Saleem Safi, a strong critic of the PTI, News International reported.
Pakistan is one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists, with three to four murders each year that are often linked to cases of corruption or illegal trafficking and which go completely unpunished, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Any journalist who crosses the red lines dictated by the Pakistan military is liable to be the target of in-depth surveillance that could lead to abduction and detention for varying lengths of time in the state’s prisons or less official jails. (ANI)