Highest number of women elected on general seats belong to PML-N

E-Paper | March 03, 2026

ISLAMABAD, May 16: The Pakistan Muslim League-N has the highest number of women legislators elected on general seats in the recent elections, and that too from Punjab, but not a single woman could win in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.

Analysts and rights activists working on gender issues have raised concern over problems faced by female candidates, polling agents and even the polling staff in several parts of the KP.

A meeting of the National Commission on the Status of Women, presided over by its chairperson Ms Khawar Mumtaz, urged the Election Commission on Thursday to order re-poll in areas where women were not allowed to vote.

The European Union Election Observer Mission has said that only 3.4 per cent of candidates on general seats were women.

Voters in Punjab have emerged as the most unbiased towards women as they elected 11 legislators, all belonging to the PML-N, while the lone female elected from Balochistan is also from the same party

According to data compiled by The Researchers in collaboration with the Pakistan Governance Forum and Women & Politics in Asia Forum, six women – three each from the PML-N and the PPP – have so far been elected as MNAs.Eight women in Punjab and one each in Sindh and Balochistan have made it to the provincial assemblies, but none in KP.

About 150 women, 60 of them on party ticket, contested the elections in 111 National Assembly constituencies.

Over 310 women, 213 of them on party ticket, filed nomination papers in 213 constituencies of the four provincial assemblies.

In the 2008 elections, 16 women had been elected as MNAs and 10 as MPAs.

In the last week’s elections, Sumaira Malik of the PML-N bagged 118,108 votes from NA-69 Khushab and Ghulam Bibi Bharwana of the same party obtained 87,002 votes to win NA-88 Jhang-Chiniot seat.

Saira Afzal Tarar, also of the PML-N, got 93,013 votes in NA-102 Hafizabad.

The PPP’s Dr Azra Fazal obtained 111,667 votes from NA-213 Nawabshah and her elder sister, Faryal Talpur, 83,916 votes from NA-207 Larkana. Both are sisters of President Asif Ali Zardari. The third PPP candidate, Dr Fehmida Mirza, got 110,684 votes from NA-225 Badin.

All the six women had also won the 2008 elections, which Ms Malik and Ms Bharwana had contested on PML-Q ticket.

Ms Malik, Ms Bharwana, Dr Fazal and Dr Mirza were also victorious in the 2002 elections.

Dr Nadia Aziz (PP-34 Sargodha), Iffat Miraj Awan (PP-53 Faisalabad), Rashida Yakoob (PP-78 Jhang), Nazia Raheel (PP-88 Toba Tek Singh), Riaz Amanat Ali Virik (PP-101 Gujranwala), Hameeda Waheeduddin (PP-116 Mandi Bahauddin), Samina Noor (Okara) and Naghma Mushtaq Lang (PP-206 Multan), who belong to the PML-N, have been elected as members of the Punjab Assembly.

Of the 10 women elected as MPAs, only one belongs to the PPP. Ms Sanya, from PS-109 Karachi, bagged the highest votes – 53,926.

The lone female candidate elected to the Balochistan Assembly is Rahat Jamali (PB-26 Jaffarabad) of the PML-N.

Newspaper

Kalbe Ali is a senior staff reporter for Dawn based in Islamabad, with nearly 20 years of field reporting experience. He covers a diverse range of topics, including the internet, IT and telecom sectors, as well as religious affairs.

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Vo Trang

May 17, 2013 08:13am

More women should join political parties and activities. More women should contest elections in urban areas and slowly move to urban cum rural constituencies. As the level of education grows, so is electricity spread giving access to media> TV. Internet than only this male dominant society will change. Its a long way to go.. Regarding the banning of female votes and agreements. ECP should declare all the involved candidates null and void. Instead appoint a FEMALE representative instead as punishment. All those political parties whose candidate was involved should expel their them from party membership all together thus ending their political aspirations for the future..

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akram

May 17, 2013 07:53pm

I'm disappointed more PTI women are not involved. The progressive parties need to appoint more women to safe seats, and announce all women shortlists for some constituencies. When women are involved in leadership decisions, decisions made are better. This is the evidence from around the world.

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Khuram Nisar

May 17, 2013 09:05pm

There is no need to worry. Does US have any women president yet in more than 200 years of democracy? Yes, women do have right to contest but if they choose. You can't force anyone to do certain act. Women usually don't like to involve themselves in politics by choice. In certain professions, they are more than men across the world but that doesn't mean that men should participate in that profession or not. Everybody have freedom of choice and should have it. There is no need to show mercy that Pakistan have just 3-4% of women in Parliament. I am against that stupid law which gives the party permission to select (not elect) women based on their strength. Women should have all the rights but same as men not special rights of selection in all the fields.

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