Delawar Jan
PESHAWAR: Every morning Muhammad Nisar Khan leaves home to
campaign for the upcoming elections, spending entire day persuading voters in
his favour. He meets people and holds gatherings—over 100 till a few days
ago—in an effort to win people’s votes. And at public meetings, he utilises all
his bestowed and acquired abilities to ensure that every single voter is
influenced in his favour. Every vote is important for him.
But there are thousands of voters he does not care for—the women
voters. In the 100-plus gatherings, he did not organise even a single meeting
for women to seek votes from them. He is not the only one who discounts women’s
role in electing public representatives. Rather, it represents a practice,
unconstitutional and undemocratic, in which women are barred from polling
stations or not encouraged to use the right to vote.
For decades, women in Kohistan and all districts of Malakand
division, excluding Chitral, are disallowed to poll vote. For this, political
parties struck agreements while the state acted passively. This time, too,
there is hardly any indication that 1,243,872 women voters in Malakand division
and Kohistan district would be able to participate in the process of election,
though no agreement among political parties has surfaced so far.
Yet, the deal is there. Parties have tacit agreement to exclude
women from the May 11 general election. As the state is passive, the political
parties are unwilling to encourage participation of women in election. “There
seems to be tacit agreement among the political parties to exclude women from
election,” said Haleem Asad, a journalist from Lower Dir.
Sarfaraz Khan, a resident of Shangla district, says political
parties did not allow women to use vote in 2002, 2008 and in by-election of
2011. “There are no indications that women will cast vote this time,” he said.
The political parties have already excluded women voters in the
campaign stage as not a single party is concentrating on women voters, which
clearly shows their intention. No party or candidate has exhibited any
intention that shows that they value women voters. Thousands of women voters in
every constituency are simply being disregarded, though candidates use means
fair or foul to win support of every single male voter. Intentionally,
candidates have not organised gatherings for women or engaged female workers in
door-to-door visit for obtaining their votes as the nation is going to polls in
a few days.
If the parties are not opposing women voting, they are not
encouraging them either to participate in election. The women in these
conservative districts are so afraid that they are unwilling to take the risk
of going to the polling station, fearing violence and insult. “I want my female
members of the family to cast vote but worry about their security. So I am
ambivalent about it,” said Sherzada, a resident of Dir town.
Women participated in elections in the 1970s but have been
excluded of the process since Gen Ziaul Haq’s takeover. “I hold men-only
meetings in my campaign to seek votes for election,” Nisar Khan said,
suggesting he does not expect female voting to take place in his PK-91
constituency. Young and educated, he supports women voting and wishes they
participate in election. However, he lacks initiative like his other colleagues
to enfranchise them. Candidates take shelter under local traditions.
Districts of Malakand division, including Upper Dir, are
conservative and it is difficult for men candidates to conduct election
activities for them. However, political parties have not even tried to engage
female workers to canvass among women. “After I have persuaded my male voters,
I expect them to convince women members of their families to vote for me,”
Nisar Khan said about uncanvassed 46,008 female voters in his constituency.
Apparently, Jamaat-e-Islami supports women voting but fears
troubles. “If there is any party that favours female voting it is
Jamaat-e-Islami. However, it can provide an excuse to troublemakers to target
them and sabotage election,” said Inayatullah, JI’s Upper Dir head and candidate
for PK-91.
No party is encouraging women to vote. However, every party fears
the other can take them by surprise by bringing women voters to polling
stations in the second half of the day to steal the election.
Shad Begum, a social worker from Lower Dir and recipient of the US
State Department’s International Women of Courage Award, declined to comment on
challenges to women voters. It remained unclear whether she will cast her
ballot in the election or relinquish her right to vote like other submissive
women in her area.
Nusrat Begum, a candidate on NA-34 Lower Dir, has promised to
bring women to polling stations to vote for her. But many people doubt her
ability to accomplish this task.
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