KHAR: A high women voter turnout was witnessed in Bajaur tribal district in the July 25 elections.

The election results showed that 54,535 of the total 133,858 women voters exercised their franchise in Bajaur district’s two National Assembly constituencies, including NA-40 and NA-41.

Of them, 27,856 women cast vote in NA-40 and 26,679 in NA-41.

The turnout was much higher than the 2013 elections’ when only 2,800 of the total 133,627 women voters had exercised their franchise in the region’s two National Assembly constituencies (then NA-43 and NA-44).

A local Election Commission of Pakistan official told Dawn that for the first time since 1997 when general elections on the basis of adult franchise had begun in tribal areas, the women had stepped out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

He said the higher women voter turnout was commendable as it showed a positive change in the people’s mindset about the women’s enfranchisement.

The official said the ECP’s decision to declare 10 per cent women vote mandatory in every polling station was the major reason for that high turnout, while the people’s better political awareness and the candidates’ understanding of the significance of women vote also contributed to it.

The political leaders and candidates said they had done their best to bring women to polling stations on July 25 and arranged seminars and workshops for the women’s education about their franchise.

They however complained that there were fewer women-only booths and staff members at polling stations in the district.

The candidates claimed that half of women voters in different areas didn’t exercise their franchise due to lack of facilities at polling stations.

They said there was only one polling booth for women at every polling station, which was not insufficient to accommodate a large number of women, who showed up to cast vote.

The political activists criticised the ECP and local administration for ‘not making sufficient arrangements to facilitate women voters in the region’ on July 25 and said the relevant officials were told to arrange at least two women-only polling booths at every polling station.

Meanwhile, assistant election commissioner of Bajaur tribal district Pervez Iqbal on Tuesday acknowledged that polling booths for women at polling stations were not sufficient in the region on the election day.

He told Dawn that the ECP had formally acknowledged lack of polling facilities for women in Bajaur region.

The official however said the ECP hadn’t expected that the local women would step out to cast vote in such a large number.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2018