New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS): Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, the special representative of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on religious harmony, on Sunday criticised the appearance of women in advertisements, saying that "despite having so many good looking men in the country, advertisers still hire women to represent their brands", Geo News reported.

Speaking to the media in Lahore, Ashrafi further said that women should not be "unnecessarily featured in advertisements", adding that he is against such practices, the report said.

He also talked about the growing menace of sexual crimes in the country and said that the perpetrators must be sentenced to harsh punishments as these crimes cannot be ignored.

"The Ulema has a role to play in eradicating obscenity, terrorism and extremism from the country," Ashrafi said.

Ashrafi also said that upon the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan is internationally combating the rise of Islamophobia.

"For this purpose, the government has started reaching out to different Islamic scholars across the globe," Ashrafi said, adding that those who have been posting blasphemous content on websites have been taken into custody, the report said.