NA-5: Women demand re-polling

PHC took suo motu notice of a voting ‘ban’ on women in NA-5, NA-27 on August 22.

PESHAWAR:

Citing disenfranchisement of women, four women filed a petition at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) asking the government to withhold official results of August 22 by-polls for NA-5 Nowshera.

The four, including Robina Bibi, Samira Bibi and Nilam, filed the petition through their lawyers Syeda Saima Jafri and Akhunzada Saifullah Rehman. The petition stated women were barred from using their constitutional rights on August 22 in at least 42 polling stations.

“Stopping women from using their constitutional rights is against Article 220 – their right to vote. There are 42 polling stations in the NA-5 constituency and unless all these stations are re-polled, the results should not be announced,” said the petition.

On Friday, the returning officer for NA-5 announced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Imran Khattak as the winner. However, sources at the ECP said no official notification had yet been released. The PHC took suo motu notice on barring of women from voting in both NA-5 Nowshera and NA-27 Lakki Marwat on August 22. The court was informed women did not vote in 54 polling stations in these constituencies.

On August 26, a two-member bench comprising PHC CJ Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain ordered re-polling at all stations where women were prevented from exercising their constitutional right. The court ordered results for those constituencies should not be announced until re-polling is conducted.

On September 18, the Supreme Court set aside the PHC suo motu notice on the matter, leaving the ECP free to announce the August 22 results, saying aggrieved parties should approach the commission.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2013.