Joining hands : Civil society to assist ECP register women voters

More than 11 million eligible women voters missing from electoral rolls

ISLAMABAD: Civil society groups, in various parts of the country, have resolved to extend their support to the Election Commission of Pakistan in bridging the gender gap in the electoral rolls.

The decision was made in a consultation of civil society groups organised by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) that welcomed the establishment of a working group at the ECP on gender and disability and it’s acknowledgment that more than 11 million eligible women voters are still missing from the electoral rolls.

The consultation deliberated upon the possible reasons for under-registration of millions of women voters and strategies to address them. The civil society groups offered ECP an active support in identifying the missing women voters and engaging other stakeholders, including media, political parties, NADRA, corporate sector and communities with high under-registration for early registration of missing women voters.

The consultation noted with grave concern that around 11.67 million women voters were missing from the voter lists mainly because they have not been provided with Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) yet. FAFEN’s analysis shows that the gap has widened by 68,000 voters since the general election 2013.

The consultation emphasised that efforts should begin on war footing before the next general elections expected to be held in 2018. It is, therefore, pertinent that the ECP take all appropriate measures which could help the missing women voters register at the earliest.

The civil society consultation hoped that ECP’s working group on gender and disability would act quickly to address the issue of under-registration.

The consultation urged the ECP to formalise a comprehensive coordination mechanism with NADRA for effective support in finalising accurate and complete voter lists and initiate voter registration campaign with special focus on women.

The group also emphasised the need for engaging with NADRA with special focus on citizen registration of women from marginalised sections of society and relax its documentation requirements. Also, the consultation decided to engage in advocacy to bring amend laws to incorporate the consent of a fresh voter on address of voter registration at the time of applying for CNIC.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2016.