“It’s the matter of excluding 50 per cent population from the electoral process which is a great deficit for democracy. Democratic government is elected by the people, including women, and not only by men,” remarks a Human Rights Lawyer, Barrister Muhammad Islam Khan, on female voting issue. He said keeping women out of the election process was the thinking of old jirga system and had no place in today’s world. He was of the view that since MMA, an alliance of six religious parties, sent their female on reserved seats to parliament, they must not oppose female voting but should play a positive role in giving them their constitutional right.
Cooped up in their houses and deprived of their other basic rights, women of Malakand division in the Frontier province are barred from using their constitutional right to vote for decades with no serious steps, at any level, for their participation in polling process despite government’s tall claims in relation to women empowerment in Pakistan. Women constitute half of the population in seven districts of the Division —Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Chitral, Buner, Swat, Shangla and Malakand—but had been kept out of voting process. Retrospective analyses suggest that only Chitral had been the exception where women regularly went to polling stations in almost all elections. They were not allowed to exercise their right to vote in the twin districts of Dir and in majority of constituencies of other districts.
The situation in Upper Dir and Lower Dir districts had been the worst, as female voters were never allowed to participate in the election process to elect their public preventatives. Though desirous to take part in voting, women did not cast single vote in 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2002 general elections. The twenty-first century also didn’t bring any positive change vis-à-vis women rights, as 2001 and 2005 Local Bodies and 2002 general elections were also no exception. None of 69102 registered female voters could cast vote. All the political parties, regrettably, had been making agreements, written or unwritten, for barring women from casting votes. In these agreements, every political party, religious or liberal, “pledge” to keep their women voters out of voting process and to bar them from contesting electios. In 1977 elections, the women of Dir did cast their votes but the turnout was low. However, in that election too women polling stations were dismantled with a purpose of stopping the process of female voting, resulting in clash among the political parties. Since then women had never been to the polling stations owning to fear of the so-called religious parties who had been issuing threats against female voting. The disenfranchisement of women of Dir continued unnoticed. Interestingly, religious parties don’t object to female voting in other cities of the country but in Dir it is termed against Islam. An increase of 19,953 votes in new electoral rolls in the registered female voters seems to be a futile exercise as there is no hope of women going to polling stations in the January 8 elections.
“It will only weaken the already fragile democracy in Pakistan. They feel frustrated and demoralised when deprived of voting, thinking they can’t contribute to the development of the country,” Hidayatullah, a resident of Dir commented. Shoaib, an activist of a religious party, said when they send their female teachers to far-off schools there was no harm in bringing them for vote. “It will give them strength.”
There is also no female voting in Lower. “I have been here for the last one decade and have conducted general, local bodies and by-elections but female voting didn’t take place,” a government official said, requesting not to be named. In all elections held in the past, women of the district could not exercise their right to vote. In 2005 LB polls, only one female voter cast her vote in Mayar area of the district out of thousands of registered female voters. During the same elections, all parties entered an agreement barring women from filing nomination papers for contesting elections. Also, un-elected men in Upper Dir represent elected female councilors. Their husbands, fathers, brothers and sons still brazenly enter the councils (except district council), sign the rolls and take part in discussions on the behalf of their elected female family members thus representing about 100 elected female councilors.
In Shangla district, female voting takes place at only five polling stations i.e Chagam-Poran, Aluch, Damorai, Dandai and Meera and the turnout remains dismally low. In Swat, votes are polled in Mingora City in PF-80, in PF-84, Matta, in girls’ college polling station and a couple of polling station in PF-86 Khwazakhela. Besides, women remain out of voting process in PF-81 Udigram, PF-82 Barikot, PF-83 Kabal and PF-85 Bahrain-Kalam. “Men say that we cast the vote and women have nothing to do with the voting,” Alamgir, a resident of Mingora, said. “After the terror unleashed by the maulvis in Swat, we fear that women who previously polled their votes will not participate in polling in the forthcoming general elections even in Mingora,” a candidate for NA-29 Swat apprehended. He said his party wished to bring more women to polling station this time, but they were rather pushed further backward. Similarly, only one per cent women out the registered female voters could cast their votes in Buner district in 2001 local bodies elections as 1280 votes out of 100317 could be polled.
An official of the election commission said they could not drag women out of their houses to participate in voting. “It’s the job of political parties to bring them out,” he said, adding their role was to facilitate the elections. A senior Commission official was of the view that ECP would not take action on its own on any irregularity but it had to be reported to the Commission in black and white.
Analysts hold the political parties, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), civil society organisations working for women rights and men responsible for this situation. Supposed to bring out maximum voters, political parties rather encourage the initiatives banning female voting and even sign agreements in this regard. “In Swabi district, the political parties even signed a written agreement in 2001 LB polls banning women from casting their votes,” Aurat Foundation’s Rakhshanda Naz claimed. “Political parties, the so-called moderate and religious, are one when it comes to keeping women out of voting process,” she said, adding all the parties had different policies at different levels. She maintained that when political interest of religious parties suited female voting they allowed it, referring to the by-election in Malakand district held on Dec 15, 2004 where women participated in voting. “We believe elections cannot be free and fair under emergency and as a protest our organisation will not carry out any campaign for mobilising women to participate in elections,” she replied to question. Criticising the ECP, she alleged it would not take any action even if provided with solid proofs. “In case of any violation, the election of that constituency should be declared null and void but the Commission doesn’t do so,” she alleged, adding it was the responsibility of State to get the rules implemented. The ECP, she said, had no mechanism to quickly respond to complaints suggesting it should have suo moto power. “
“Its wrong,” said the secretary ECP, Kanwar Dilshad, adding actions on complaints were taken as quickly as possible but said, “We can’t do a magic to correct things in a wink.” When asked, he replied: “ Those individuals who have been raising hue and cry over women’s disenfranchisement, do not cast votes themselves. Their female family members also do not go to polling stations.” “Parties and their candidates lack programme for people welfare that’s the reason they don’t want to stand in long queues in an unfavourable atmosphere for casting vote,” he said. “Nothing” was his reply when asked what should the ECP do to provide female voters a favourable atmosphere. However, he was very clear on any disruption of female voting. “We will initiate strict action if female voting was hindered anywhere,” he categorically said.
A number of officials from Election Commission, civil society and parties were interviewed who agreed on one thing that ECP should have suo moto authority to check irregularity on its own and should not wait for the complaints to be put up in black in white. “Is it not ridiculous that ECP waits for a complaint to be registered in written despite that it sees itself the irregularity taking place? This is nothing but a role of silent spectator,” an official commented. As regards to suo moto suggestion, Dilshad said parliament had the right to amend Constitution and give ECP suo moto on irregularities. However, the fact that is the most alarming right now is that no government agency, political parties and organisations from civil society are ready to take the responsibility for the women disenfranchisement in this region. This continues unabated and unchecked. In fact, a senior official ‘advised’ this scribe not to highlight this women-related issue being “a Ghairatmand Patan” which speaks volumes of the seriousness for the incorporation of women in voting process.
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