Ban on Female Voters
By Dawar Naqvi
Yorba Linda, CA
On May 11th women were not allowed to vote at many polling stations in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. This followed an agreement between Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N), Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) barring women from voting.
According to Election Rules Clause 20, women cannot be barred from casting their vote. The agreement reached between these political parties on the voting strategy in PK-93 and PK-95 is a clear violation of the constitution of Pakistan as well as the electoral code of conduct.
Qamar Naseem, program coordinator of the Human Rights Organization, said that according to government rules if anybody stops a woman from casting her vote, he can be sentenced to five years imprisonment and fined Rs150, 000. There is no denying that the Taliban network is alive and behind this deal. Jamat Islami and PML (N) have always shown a soft corner for the Taliban.
The PTI claimed that it is very popular in the urban areas of Karachi and Lahore. A proof of this claim was provided recently when we saw modern women come out on the streets of Lahore and Karachi and stage protest demonstrations. But in Pakhtunkhwa the PTI barred women from voting. This clears smacks of hypocrisy.
The same is true for the PPP: Benazir led the party for many, many years and was elected Prime Minster twice but regrettably the PPP joined hands with right wing parties and enforced a ban on female voters on May 11!
The Election Commission of Pakistan should order re-election in PK-93 and PK-95.
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