ISLAMABAD: The European Union and EU member states together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have taken serious notice of reports of women being prevented from casting votes in the local government elections scheduled to be held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.

In a joint statement issued by the UNDP on Friday, the EU and its member states called on the provincial government and leaders of political parties to investigate these reports and ensure that all women participated freely in the elections.

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The EU, its member states and the UNDP regretted that candidates, community elders and religious leaders in some constituencies had reportedly prevented women from casting vote in the polls.

“We call on the government of Pakistan, as a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to honour its commitment under these agreements.”

The government should “safeguard the basic rights of women to ensure that barriers are removed which prevent women from exercising their democratic right to participate in elections and cast their ballots for candidates of their choice”, they said.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2015

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