May 22 , 2015
News
Political parties in Upper Dir agree on women’s right to vote
* LHO and FNF jointly bring together local political leadership to ensure women’s voting in upcoming LG elections * Local leadership passes a unanimous resolution disowning any agreement barring women’s right to voteISLAMABAD: District heads of all major political parties in Dir have agreed on the women’s right to vote, welcomed female voter participation, and sought “support from the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure socio-culturally acceptable arrangements for female voters of Upper Dir District”.
The Lawari Humanitarian Organisation (LHO) with support from Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) brought together the regional leaders of major political parties whose candidates had agreed on, and made sure, almost zero female voting in the 2013 general election. The practice of barring women from voting was also in force in the recently held by-polls on May 7 in the neighbouring Lower Dir District – the seat was vacated by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq. Following a decades old local tribal agreement, women have not been allowed to vote in any election held since 1985 in Dir District, which was divided into two districts, Upper and Lower Dir, in 1996.
The interaction, titled “Enhancing Women Participation in Elections in District Upper Dir” held in Islamabad, was meant to encourage the regional political leadership to ensure women’s voting in the local government elections to be held on May 30.
Addressing the gathering FNF Resident Representative Dr Almut Besold said the women’s right to political participation is a universally accepted human right. She said FNF would constructively encourage efforts to create awareness about the importance of female political participation in Upper Dir District and a few other areas in Pakistan where women were barred from voting in the 2013 general elections.
The political leadership from Upper Dir District passed a unanimous resolution at the end of the two-day event. The resolution disowned “any agreement at all levels barring women to exercise their right to vote, and agreed on prevention of and response to the practice barring women, minorities, or any other segment of society from casting their votes”.
The resolution recognised as a national duty, and constitutional right, the women’s right to vote. It also requested the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) “to extend further support in arrangements of separate polling stations with separate female polling staff in Upper Dir District”, and, especially in the far flung areas of the sparsely populated mountainous district bordering Afghanistan.
JI District Ameer Sahibzada Fasihullah, ANP’s Naveed Anjum Khan and M Ismail advocate of PPP, while addressing the conference, requested the Government of Pakistan to provide adequate female security staff and ensure protection of female polling stations as only four female constables are currently serving in the district.
Liberal Forum Pakistan (LFP) Chairman Muhammad Anwar urged the ECP to take a tough stance on denial of voting rights to women. He said ECP should declare as void any election in a constituency where the votes cast by women are less than 10% of total registered women’s votes, and should refuse to accept the results of a polling station where less than 5% of total women’s votes are polled.
LHO Executive Director Asifullah Khan and Programme Manager Riaz Khan praised the unanimous resolution passed by the regional leadership of all major religious and political parties active in Upper Dir District. They hoped that the unanimous resolution would pave the way for female voting in the May 30 local government elections. They also urged the ruling parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI and JI, to use the government machinery and resources to encourage women of Upper Dir to vote in the local government elections.
The signatories to the unanimous resolution are: Fazl Azeem (JUI-F), Imran Khan and Saleemur Rehman (PML-N), Hameeda Shahid and Imran Saeed (PTI), Sahibzada Fasihullah and Allahuddin (JI), Naveed Anjum Khan and Irshad Khan (ANP), and Nizamuddin Nizami, Masihullah Khan and Mohammad Ismail Advocate (PPP).Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk