PESHAWAR, April 3: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court adjourned here on Thursday hearing of four identical writ petitions challenging banning of women from casting votes in different phases of local government elections.

The cases have been lingering on in the high court for the last nearly two years without any noteworthy progress.

When the bench, comprising Justice Malik Hamid Saeed and Justice Shahjehan Khan, took up hearing the petitions on Thursday it was about 1.00pm. Former attorney-general for Pakistan Qazi Mohammad Jamil, appearing for the petitioners in two of the petitions, pointed out that these were important petitions and he would take some time in arguing it.

The bench asked Mr Jamil whether it would be possible for him to argue the case in shortest possible time, he replied in negative, stating that the nature of these cases was very important as a large number of women were disenfranchised by contesting candidates during the polls.

He argued that such elected representatives who barred women from casting votes had no right to sit in those elected bodies and be disqualified by the court. Enough evidence, he added, was available against the respondents.

He requested the bench that these cases be fixed at serial No. 1 so that it could be decided one way or the other.

The petitions are filed by Ms Jamila, Ms Bakht Zarina, Ms Masooda and Ms Rahat.

The petitioners have prayed the court to declare the elections null and void in all such union councils where females were barred from casting their votes.

The petitioners have claimed that all the contesting candidates and notables of the area had entered into agreements through which they decided not to allow a single female to cast her vote.

The petitioners have placed on record a number of such agreements, saying that these people cannot negate those agreements.

They argued that casting vote was a constitutional right of every citizen.