Daily Times

A verdict by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to nullify the ‘male only’ by-election in Lower Dir can be termed an exemplary one. The ruling should have been supported by all political parties. On the contrary, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leaders have refused to accept this decision and announced that they will challenge the ECP’s order for re-polling in PK-95 in the Islamabad High Court. The by-election for the provincial Assembly PK-95 in Lower Dir, which was vacated by JI Emir Sirajul Haq who was elected a Senator, was conducted on May 7. There were a total of 127,096 registered voters in the constituency, including around 53,000 women. The seat was won by JI candidate Izazul Mulk who defeated Awami National Party candidate Haji Bahadur Khan by a narrow margin. The significant aspect of this election was that not a single woman cast her vote. It is the first of its kind precedent in the electoral history of the country that the ECP has declared a by-election null and void due to the disenfranchisement of female voters. The JI leadership needs to understand that women are also citizens of Pakistan and stakeholders in the election process. They cannot be deprived of their constitutional right to vote and elect their representatives because without women’s participation, elections have no worth.

The illegal practice of barring women from voting during elections has continued unchecked in several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the last many years under verbal and written agreements between political parties and local elders. The issue surfaced when the members of a women’s rights group filed a petition against this injustice in the Peshawar High Court. Conservative tribal customs and threats from militants are the main reasons for this ‘ban’. After receiving reports earlier about some plans to bar women from casting votes in the by-election, the ECP had issued a warning. But the political parties gave no importance to the ECP’s caution and women were again stopped from casting votes. It is very unfortunate that we are bogged down in an age where male chauvinism is still dominant. There should be a free environment for women voters. No person can be denied his/her right to vote, especially the womenfolk that comprise half the population of Pakistan. We need to do away with outdated, backward ideas. Women are part of society and they deserve equal rights and representation in every sector. Indeed, the ECP has delivered a landmark judgment that will help curb the practice of barring women from voting in future. Moreover, the ECP should press contesting candidates to encourage women voters to come out of their homes and use their constitutional right. *