SWABI: Political parties’ candidates and independents are making all-out efforts to boost women’s participation in the election process.

Interaction with various leaders and workers and visit to different localities on Monday revealed that it was the first ever occasion in the district that all the contesting candidates were focusing on ensuring maximum of women participation in the polls.

Earlier, the poll contestants used to contact only male members of the families and only a few candidates took interest in the woman voting. Now the strategy has changed, which is a positive outcome.

“The Awami National Party has always fought for the women rights and ensuring their full participation in polls is its priority,” Gul Zamin Shah, ANP candidate from PK-43, stressed.

Roohal Amin, president of Samajee Behbood Rabita Council, recalled that in the local government elections, the contesting candidates had entered into a verbal agreement that women won’t be allowed to vote.

Dr Yasim Jaseem, former MPA, said during the LG polls hardly any woman voted, but said they worked on women voting education and the policy has paid off.

It is learnt that various candidates plan to hire women working with NGOs for educating their gender about the importance of vote.

Sources said to nominate women as polling agents has always been a big problem in the district because it was difficult to find educated women and permission from their families for the job.

Mohammad Younas, Topi tehsil naib nazim, recalled that in local government elections he had hired the women associated with NGOs for ensuring women participation in polls. “I was a few votes behind my rival and only result of one polling woman station was not announced. When the result came I won the election,” he said.

Mohammad Rashid Advocate, former president of Swabi Bar Association, said the election commission had made clear that barring women from voting was against the spirit of Islam and the constitution and deemed an offence.

“The ECP can declare the results null and void if women votes are less than 10 per cent in a constituency,” he pointed out.

Fazal Akram, who is contesting as independent from NA-18 and PK-43, said he would reach out to women voters in the constituencies.

Gohar Ali Inqilabi of PPP said pretext of tradition had been used to disallow women voting, but the election commission and human rights activists had played a great role in changing the entire landscape of women participation in election.

Masood Jabar, QWP leader, said there was need for further boosting women participation in the electoral process. Mohammad Oqal advocate, a human rights activist, said with the passage of time gap between men and women voters was being reduced.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2018