ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza has asked the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to launch special initiatives for issuance of national identity cards to women in order to help the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) bridge the gap between male and female voters, which has now swelled to 12.17 million.

The issue came under discussion at a meeting between the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Nadra Chairman Usman Yusuf Mobeen on Friday and the latter assured the former that steps were being taken to address the matter on a priority basis.

The two discussed the ways and means to increase women’s participation in the political process. Justice Raza informed Mr Mobeen about an exercise being carried out to identify the areas where the proportion of women voters was below 40 per cent.

In 2013 the difference was 10.97 million which has now swelled to 12.17m

At the time of the 2013 general elections, the gap between male and female voters stood at 10.97m which jumped to 11.65m in September 2015, at the start of the local government elections.

There were 86.24m registered voters in 2013 — 48.61m of them men and 37.63m women. The figures released in September 2015 showed that the number of registered voters had increased to 93.06m. There were 52.36m male voters against 40.7m female voters which meant that registration of women as voters had not kept pace with that of men.

The disturbing trend continues and the difference has now reached 12.17m. The total number of voters now stands at 97.01m — 54.5m of them men and 42.42m women.

In 2002, the voters’ ratio was 86 women per 100 men. In 2008, it decreased to 79 women per 100 men. In 2013, it decreased further to 77 women per 100 men.

On the other hand, the ratio was a healthy 87 women per 100 men in 1970 and 1988. According to the demographic profile of the population as per the 1998 census, the ratio should ideally be 96 women per 100 men.

Meanwhile, the citizens in the 18-25 age group need to be targeted as well because their under-registration is proportionately higher compared to other age groups.

A senior ECP official said the political parties should play the lead role in encouraging women to enrol as voters.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2017