HOW will the state compensate for wrongs caused by primitive mindsets, particularly when men in conservative areas extinguish lives and ambitions of women with impunity? Kohistan is back in the news for the wrong reasons — a band of clerics, mostly from JUI-F, delivered a shocking fatwa declaring canvassing by and for women candidates an un-Islamic act.They believe that door-to-door campaigns by women are in violation of religious laws. It is a blow to what could be a historic moment for the region with three women contesting for the provincial assembly. Intimidation assumes another form in Khyber — three female nominees for general seats of the provincial assembly are on a controlled campaign trail due to tribal customs focusing mainly on women voters.

Oppression through decrees and traditions should worry the ECP. The electoral body has to demonstrate its commitment to the safety of vulnerable aspirants with strategies that, in this instance, include the men so that women are not silenced. It should take certain steps on a war footing, such as provide security for the female candidates to hit the campaign trail and begin a simultaneous awareness drive with religious scholars to enlighten the community about politics, its merits and the need for more female legislators in the administration. Moreover, the UN defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”. Therefore, the fact that these applicants face potential dangers to their lives cannot be dodged by the authorities and ECP. Kohistan, remote and orthodox, has the lowest literacy rate in Pakistan, and equal representation is alien to its men. Education is the bedrock of enfranchisement and the most powerful tool for security.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2024