PESHAWAR: The Aurat Foundation and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women have demanded of the Election Commission of Pakistan to upload Form 45 carrying polling station election results on its official website for polling station wise analysis and redress strategy.

Addressing a joint press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, AF resident director Shabina Ayaz and KPCSW chairperson Neelum Toru appreciated the election commission of Pakistan for conducting smooth and successful elections.

Ms Toru said the ECP should tell people about the action it had taken against the political parties for not awarding five per cent tickets for general election seats to women.

She also asked the commission about the action taken about the constituencies where the women voters’ turnout was less than 10 per cent.

Women activists appreciate ‘smooth, successful’ polls

“We ask parliament to examine the Election Act and remove ambiguities about the election process, especially with regards to Section 9(1) and Section 206. We also want to know the criteria for nominations for the reserved seats by political parties,” she said.

Ms Toru said political parties just fulfilled the formality by awarding election tickets to women in the areas, where they had little chances of success, and therefore, most of women candidates bagged few votes in election.

She also complained that many areas didn’t have separate polling booths for women voters.

She said of the 17 women candidates for National Assembly seats, PPP’s Asma Alamgir (NA-27-Peshawar-I) bagged the highest number of 24,002 votes, while the lowest number of votes i.e. 183 was secured by ANP’s Iffat Kulsoom from NA-13 Mansehra-I.

The KPCSW chairperson said of the 29 provincial assembly constituencies, the highest number of votes i.e. 10,904 was secured by PTI candidates Hamida Shahid in PK-10 Dir and the lowest i.e. 19 by Qaumi Watan Party candidate Nargis Samin in PK-7 Peshawar.

She regretted that the women candidates for NA seats secured a total of 51,909 votes and those for provincial assembly seats 42,769 votes.

Shabina Ayaz asked the ECP to probe why the number of votes polled by election had dropped in July 25 elections compared with last polls.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2018