BLINDNESS separates people from things; deafness separates people from people.

The banned Tehreek-i -Taliban Pakistan warned women of Hangu against taking part in the recently-held by-election, otherwise they would be kidnapped and killed. As a result, women were not allowed to vote at many polling stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Taliban had issued a similar warning during the May 11 general elections and had taken away ballot boxes in some parts of Hangu.

Also, on May 11 the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Jamaat-i-Islami, PML-N, Awami National Party and the PPP signed an accord barring women from voting.

According to Clause 20 of the Election Rules, women cannot be barred from voting. The agreement reached between these political parties on the voting strategy was a clear violation of the constitution, as well as of the electoral code of conduct.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the PTI defeated all mainstream political parties across the province on May 11 and formed the government. The chief minister of KP is from the PTI. In their provisional government women voters were stopped again from exercising their right of franchise in the by-election.

The PTI claimed it is very popular in urban areas of Karachi and Lahore; on May 11 we saw many modern women had come out on the streets of Lahore and Karachi during their protest. But in KP, the PTI barred the women from voting.

According to PTI secular group strong influence of Taliban policies exist in the PTI.

The existence of the Taliban is dangerous for the country’s sovereignty.

The Election Commission of Pakistan should declare the elections null and void and conduct re-polling in the affected constituencies with the guarantee that the right to vote is ensured for all women.

DAWAR NAQVI
United States

Opinion

Editorial

Brewing catastrophe
Updated 19 Jun, 2025

Brewing catastrophe

THE Middle East may be hurtling towards a catastrophic war not seen in decades, sparked by Israel’s unprovoked...
Pension bill
19 Jun, 2025

Pension bill

IT is, indeed, a worrying conundrum. The federal government’s annual pension burden now exceeds its fiscal space...
Abandoned Karachi
19 Jun, 2025

Abandoned Karachi

THE explosive mix of decay, institutional apathy and corruption has, once again, placed Karachi among the bottom ...
Spread of hate
Updated 18 Jun, 2025

Spread of hate

HATE speech is not confined to words; in fact, there is a causal link between hateful rhetoric and real-world...
Big challenges
18 Jun, 2025

Big challenges

BALOCHISTAN’S Rs1.028tr budget, featuring a public development investment of Rs245bn and provincial surplus of...
Rampant disinformation
Updated 18 Jun, 2025

Rampant disinformation

WITH the arrival and proliferation of digital media, the creation of information is now a decentralised function,...