The General certainly has an enlightened view of rape:
Mr Musharraf told the Washington Post that Pakistan should not be singled out on rape issues as other countries had the same problems.
“You must understand the environment in Pakistan … This has become a money-making concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped,” the Post quoted Mr Musharraf as saying.
I am sorry to point out that the reason people associate Pakistan with rape is not because rape is more popular in Karachi. It’s because of cases like this:
Mai, a 30-year-old woman who lives in the remote hamlet of Meerwala, was brutally and publicly gang-raped in June 2002 by four volunteers on the orders of a village court, or jirga. Mai’s then 12-year-old brother Abdul Shakoor (pictured behind her) had been seen walking with a girl from the more influential Mastoi tribe; they demanded Mai’s rape to avenge their “honor.” Mai’s family sat helplessly while she was dragged into a room, even as she screamed and pleaded for mercy. To further humiliate her, and make an example of those who would defy the power of local strongmen, she was paraded naked before hundreds of onlookers. Her father covered her with a shawl and walked her home.
TimeMukhtaran’s attackers, and the Mastoi of the so-called panchayat that conspired in her rape, were sentenced to death by the Dera Ghazi Khan anti-terrorist court…
…On 3 March 2005 five of the six men sentenced to death were acquitted on appeal by the Lahore High Court, the highest court of the Punjab province. link
Ms. Mai’s case is being appealed and she may still prevail. However, the plight of women in Pakistan is horrible. Ms. Mai is a courageous woman, but most women don’t even try to seek justice because of death threats, shame, and the fact the courts are as likely to acquit as they are to convict. Musharraf’s comment shows an astounding level of insensitivity.
