PESHAWAR: The Peshawar HIgh Court on Monday ordered re-polling at those polling stations in Nowshera and Lakki Marwat constituencies where women were barred from casting their votes during the by-polls held last week, DawnNews reported.

A two-member special bench of the PHC, comprising of Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Manzoor, heard the case over a suo motu notice taken on the ban of women voters in NA-5 (Nowshera) and NA-27 (Lakki Marwat) constituencies, and ordered for re-polls at the affected polling stations.

During the hearing Chief Justice Dost Mohammad remarked that barring women from balloting was a disgrace to the country which has had a woman speaker of the National Assembly and had another woman as a prime minister twice.

He further pointed out that men did not object to the inclusion of women in the list for the recipients of Zakat and Usher funds and the Benazir Income Support Fund but had reservations against the inclusion of women in the voters list.

While giving its judgment the bench said that according to Article 218 of the constitition it was the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure that elections were conducted in a free and transparent manner and ordered for re-polling in all affected polling stations of Nowshera and Lakki Marwat where women turnout was barred.