ISLAMABAD, May 12: Over 100 women domestic election observers from an international NGO have called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to declare null and void the elections in areas where women were banned from voting.
The observers of Gender Concerns International and the Aurat Foundation in their initial report said they monitored the election activities from a gender perspective at 553 women polling stations in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Swabi, Kohat, Swat, Abbottabad, Mardan, Lower Dir, Hyderabad, Thatta, Sargodha, Bhakkar, Vehari and Gujranwala.
“It has been found that in NA-33 Upper Dir, women were barred in all UCs from voting. Only one woman cast her vote in UC Darora. In NA-34 Lower Dir, women were not allowed to vote at the polling stations of Nafasa, Kamangarah, Bajwaro, Pato, Bankot, Sari and Ouch,” said the report.
In NA-28 Buner, women didn’t cast their vote in 17 out of the 27 UCs. In NA-10 Mardan, they were not allowed to cast their vote in Kotki and Katlung. In NA-25 D.I. Khan, women were banned from voting in Garah Essa Khail. In NA-5 Nowshera, a ban was clamped on women to cast their vote in Choki mumraiz polling station. In NA-22 Batagaram, they were not allowed to cast their vote in Ajmera. In NA-35 Malakand, women did not vote at the Govt Degree College, Govt High School Dargai, Heroshah, Haryan Kot and the primary school Nary Obo.
According to media coordinator Wasim Wagha, a formal report will be issued on May 13. However, some of the initial findings of the Gender Election Monitoring (GEM) mission said voting remained peaceful and orderly all over the country except for a few untoward incidents.
Long queues of women voters, particularly a large number of young women, were witnessed at the polling stations. This shows an anticipated high election turnout and increased participation of women in the elections. In Saragodha, women voted for the first time in the union councils of Lilliani and Moazamabad.
Security situation at the women polling stations was satisfactory. Women police personnel were seen only at a few places; however, male police and other security arrangements were adequate. Women voters’ knowledge about the vote-casting procedure was of an average nature in urban centres. However, in rural areas and in rural suburbs, women generally lacked information about voting.
“The environment of transparency in vote casting in the polling booths showed much improvement and the system of check and balance in the procedure made the overall environment voter-friendly. The polling staff was cooperative, however, many were inexperienced and their strength at many polling stations was inadequate.”
Complaints of inadequate physical space within the polling booths were received from most of the polling stations and rooms were filled with women voters at the peak hours which created chaos. Location of women polling stations was reachable by voters except for some rural constituencies.
The ECP decision to move away party camps from the close-by premises of the polling stations helped in improving the overall physical environment of congestion previously witnessed in elections outside as well as inside. The ECP decision to ban transportation of voters by candidates did not seem to have any impact and political parties and candidates were seen transporting them freely in private and public vehicles.