January 14, 2007	Sunday	Zilhaj 23, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 13: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has asked the Election Commission to take notice of the reports that the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and Awami National Party (ANP) candidates contesting the January 10 by-polls in Bajaur Agency through a “mutual agreement” chose to bar women constituents from voting.

In a letter written to the chief election commissioner (CEC), Justice (retired) Qazi Mohammad Farooq, PML-N Senator Sadia Abbasi demanded “appropriate action” against the candidates and political parties for denying the fundamental right of vote to women of the area.

The letter, written by Ms Abbasi, has annoyed Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali Khan, who denied that women were stopped from casting votes in the Bajaur by-elections. He criticised Ms Abbasi for lodging a complaint with the CEC against his party without verifying the facts.

In her letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn, Ms Abbasi said it appeared that women constituents were barred from contesting in the by-polls. She said if this was not a violation of several articles of the 1973 Constitution with regard to fundamental rights and conduct of elections, then she could not imagine a greater derogation of the basic law of the land.

“I would also like to bring to your kind notice the issue that is most disturbing is that a government which professes to speak for the rights of women, and which recently passed a bill in the Parliament for the protection of the rights of women, should so openly and blatantly disregard the Constitution and its own policies with regard to the rights of women for a short-lived purpose of attempting to win an election at any cost,” she said.

Criticising the ANP in her letter, Ms Abbasi wrote: “I also hold the ANP equally responsible and culpable in this violation of the law and the barbaric and indecent practice of not allowing women to participate in activities that constitute their fundamental rights.”

It speaks volumes for the hypocrisy of such parties. In the case of the ANP it is all the more surprising as it is a moderate and secular party struggling for the rights of people of their province.

The founding fathers of the ANP spoke for the rights of women when such rights were unknown and practiced it by providing their women with higher education.”

She said the religious parties boycotted this by-election, but when the previous elections had taken place there were no such reports of denying 55,000 eligible women voters from participating in the elections in this constituency.

“It is to be noted that the religious alliance is always accused of not respecting the rights of women, however, the so- called champions of women empowerment have failed miserably in their professed claims as demonstrated by their actions in this election,” she said.

Ms Abbasi asked the CEC to take notice of these violations of the law and an inquiry should be conducted into this matter.

ANP President Asfandyar Wali, when contacted, denied the reports that women were stopped from polling votes in Bajaur Agency.

He claimed that there was no complete boycott of the polls and women also took part in the polling process.

He further said his party’s Central Executive Committee had already passed a resolution against the act of stopping women from casting votes.

When his attention was drawn towards Ms Abbasi’s letter, he said it was the habit of her and her party to make baseless allegations which could not be proven by evidence.

“I thought that she and her party would have learnt from their past mistakes, but it seems they have not,” he added.