TIMERGARA: The practice of not allowing women to vote was witnessed again in Lower Dir on Sunday when only two of the 26,949 registered women voters dared cast their vote in the local government by-elections.

It is worth mentioning here that the Election Commission of Pakistan has already withheld notification of by-polls result on PK-95 constituency here on the plea of women’s disenfranchisement.

Although the polling for 18 local bodies seats in the district remained peaceful, the region remained stuck to its tradition of women disenfranchisement. The only two votes were polled at Tangi Samar Bagh polling station.

Sources said that even the two contesting women candidates in Toormang did not turn up to the polling stations. They said like the previous elections a verbal agreement had been struck among the local leaders of political parties to not allow women to cast vote in the Sunday’s by-election.

District election officer Inayat ur Rahman told journalists that foolproof security measures were adopted at all polling stations to ensure women cast their vote without any difficulty. He said a separate polling station was set up for women at GGPS Osakai but not a single woman turned up.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2016