DISENFRANCHISEMENT OF WOMEN CONTINUES DESPITE TALL CLAIMS PESHAWAR: The practice of preventing women from casting votes was also witnessed in some parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the August 22 by-polls despite the warning of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that strict action would be taken against the violators. Like the May 11 general elections, the practice of disenfranchisement of women in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also seen in the country’s largest by-elections, particularly in Nowshera and Lakki Marwat districts. Subsequent reports said women also didn’t vote due to the ban imposed by local elders and political workers in the recent by-elections in Mardan and Bannu districts. However, this time Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court (PHC) Dost Mohammad Khan took suo moto notice after receiving reports about banning women voters from exercising their right to franchise and summoned top officials of the province. He directed the high-ups to ensure that the women voters are able to cast their votes across the province, particularly at the 18 polling stations in Nowshera and Lakki Marwat either by extending the polling time till 6:30 pm or through re-polling if the ECP made such a decision. There were reports that local elders and leaders of political parties had barred women from casting ballots in both Nowshera and Lakki Marwat. Following the PHC chief justice’s directive, the ECP withheld the official and unofficial results of NA-5 Nowshera and NA-27 Lakki Marwat till re-polling at the 18 female polling stations in both the constituencies where women were barred from casting ballots. Resident Director of Aurat Foundation, Shabina Ayaz, told The News that the practice to disenfranchise women would continue until and unless the ECP took strict action against the violators and declared 10 to 15 percent participation of female voters mandatory in every constituency. She said that after the May 11 general elections, the Aurat Foundation provided to the ECP the copies of the agreements signed by elders and leaders of political parties for preventing women from casting votes so that the violators could be taken to task. “Instead of taking any action the ECP sent a letter to the Aurat Foundation stating there was no ban on the voting of women,” she recalled. The PHC chief justice had directed the district police officers (DPOs) and DCs to arrest those who had made written or verbal agreements to stop women from casting votes. Out of the 86.189 million registered voters in the country, 37.597 million (43.6 percent) are females. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 5.257 million (42.8 percent) of the 12.266 million voters are women. In Fata, 0.596 million (34.2 percent) of the 1.738 million registered voters are women. (Courtesy by thenews.pk)
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 11:05:30 +0000
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