ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: As many as 4,861 seats out of a total of 36,066 seats (both general and peasant-worker) reserved for women are lying vacant in different tiers of the local government in the country the elections of which are likely to be held on March 28, an informed source told Dawn.

During the local government elections held in a phased programme from 2000 to 2001 under the Devolution Plan, 32,222 seats of women were filled. However, some seats remained vacant especially in some areas of the NWFP after some religious and feudal elements in the local political parties entered into a written agreement not to field or nominate women candidates or encourage their participation in the elections, as according to them, women participation in the elections was against the injunctions of Islam.

Later on some seats also fell vacant due to the retirement of candidates or deaths. Besides, a number of women councillors moved to the Tehsil/town and district councils and assemblies.

In NWFP, 1,953 seats are lying vacant in all the 24 districts, the highest being in Kohistan (228) where no women is represented in the union councils. In Battagram, there is only one woman councillor. The total number of vacant seats for women in Battagram is 120, in Mardan 186, in Peshawar 129, in Lower Dir 196 and in Upper Dir 148.

Similarly, there are 1,365 vacant seats in the union councils of Punjab in which 74 seats are yet to be filled in Rawalpindi, 133 in Faisalabad, 92 in Sargodha, 66 in Muzaffargarh etc.

There are 786 vacant seats in Baluchistan, the highest being in Kech where 117 seats are vacant. In Dera Bugti 92 per cent of the reserved seats for women are lying vacant. In Sindh 757 seats of women councillors are lying vacant.

The women councillors and civil society have since long been demanding filling of these vacant seats.

The Election Commission had recently announced holding bye- elections on the reserved seats for women on March 28 in NWFP, Sindh and Baluchistan. However, the elections date for Punjab is yet to be announced.