AJK elections: Which party is sharing political space with women?

PTI hasn’t fielded any female candidate, while PPP has awarded ticket to two women and PML-N to one female

MUZAFFARABAD: In rhetoric, all political parties champion women’s empowerment. But this seldom reflects in their actions. Take the example of the upcoming general elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Almost all mainstream parties are in the run. But women, who make up nearly 50% of the state’s population, do not figure on the priority list of these parties when it comes to awarding tickets. Among the 223,548,9 registered voters in AJK, 985,400 are women, while 125,008,9 are men.

Quite surprisingly, not a single woman is contesting the July 21 polls from the platform of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) because the party has not issued ticket to any woman candidate. The PTI claims to have provided 50% representation to women in federal and provincials legislatures.



The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), on the other hand, has fielded two women candidates, Farzana Yaqoob and Shamshad  Aziz, to contest from Rawalakot division. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz PML-N has awarded ticket to only one woman, Noreen Arif, to run from Patika, Muzaffarabad.

Traditional parties of AJK are also breaking social taboos. Mehrunnisa of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AJKMC) will be trying her luck in politics for a Kashmiri refugees’ seat in Rawalpindi, while the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Party (JKPP) has also issued a ticket to a woman, Nabeela Irshad, for the first time to run for a seat in the Palandri area of Rawalakot.

“We expect same rights in our patriarchal society. The PPP, PML-N, AJKMC and AJKPP have at least fielded one or two women candidates, but surprisingly, the PTI has adopted a discriminatory policy against women which is unfortunate and painful,” women’s rights activist Maria Iqbal Tarana told The Express Tribune.

Maria said that they would continue to work for securing political space for women in AJK commensurate with their population. “When women are encouraged to register as voters, they will also take part in active politics which is vital for the betterment of society,” Tarana added.



Another women’s rights activist Dr Bushra Shams said women have to fight to secure their share in politics – and for this purpose mass awareness, especially in the remote areas, was essential. “We’ve our own cultural values but that doesn’t mean women will remain silent about their political rights. Political parties have to ensure that women are given some space in the political system for the greater good of society.”

Out of 49 seats of the AJK Legislative Assembly, five have already been reserved for women, but the first time in the 31-year parliamentary history of AJK, five women will be contesting the elections on general seats in the region.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2016.