29 January 2005	Saturday	18 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: An eminent anthropologist here on Thursday called for complete revision of the existing registered voters list, saying it was incorrect, misleading and downplayed the real numerical strength of women across the country.

Naghma Imdad, a renowned anthropologist and director of Supporting People's Perspective of Democracy and Development, was giving a presentation on "Women Political Empowerment with Specific Reference to Participation in Women Councils" here at the Centre for Democratic Development.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, there were about 72 million total registered voters for the general elections 2002. That, she said, could not be correct because there were only 66 million voters in the country as per the 1998 national census.

"The fact is that not all eligible voters i.e. men and women in the age group of 18 years and above in the country are registered as voters and, therefore, cannot exercise their basic voting right.

We also presume that among those not registered as voters, the number of women, especially those from remote areas, is higher than men," Ms Imdad said. Women, she observed, had always faced hurdles in casting their votes, especially in rural areas, due to the existing faulty voting and voters registration mechanisms and male- dominated feudal social setup. Only 25 per cent of women in the age group of 18 years and above possessed national identity cards, she said.