ECP commended for facilitating female electorates on May 11

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The Election Commission of Pakistan has been commended for successfully encouraging female citizens to cast their ballots on May 11. The Gender Concerns International (GCI) has acknowledged the ECP in its preliminary report for significantly increasing the number of polling stations and staff to facilitate electorates on the Election Day.

However, the ECP has also been urged to announce re-poll in areas where women failed to cast their vote. Representatives of the GCI have informed the commission that the women of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were either not allowed by political parties or were threatened by militants from casting their ballot on May 11. Records show that only one woman casted her vote in the entire district of Upper Dir.

Reportedly, the female electorates of Lower Dir were barred from casting votes in up to seven constituencies. Similar situation was noticed in several constituencies of Mardan, D I Khan, Nowshera, Batagram and Malakand.

The Gender Election Monitoring (GEM) Mission – joint mission of Aurat Foundation and Gender Concern International, the Netherlands based organization – has urged the ECP to declare the results of such constituencies null and void. The mission appointed 110 observers in Pakistan to monitor election activities from gender perspective at 555 women’s polling stations all over Pakistan including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Swabi, Kohat, Swat, Abbottabad, Mardan, Lower Dir, Hyderabad, Thatta, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Vehari and Gujranwala.

“Despite pre-election times threats and attacks, female voters turned out in big numbers often present from the beginning, very enthusiastic, including old age, middle age, youth, mothers with babies and children, disabled women, women carers coming along with their families, neighbors, relatives or friends,” says the report issued by GEM.