ECP asks Malakand administrators to curb women disenfranchisement

Electoral body has warned of an alleged agreement between candidates and locals to stop women from casting their votes

PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter has directed returning officers of all districts in Malakand Division to stop any attempts aimed at disenfranchisement of women.

The electoral body, through a letter, informed commissioners and officers about reports of agreements between candidates and influential locals to stop women from casting their votes on election day.

ECP has thus directed the district administrations to take necessary steps to stop any such attempts since it is in violation of the Election Act 2017.



The ECP has issued the directives to the deputy commissioners/ returning officers and district monitoring officers of district Swat, Chitral, Dir Upper, Dir Lower, Malakand, Shangla, Buner and Bajaur.

The letter issued by the ECP states that human rights activist Tahira Abdullah has informed the election commission about a secret agreement signed between candidates and influential locals of Malakand Division to not allow women to cast their votes on July 25.

The letter notes that disenfranchisement is an offence under the Election Act 2017 and cites Section 9 (1) of the Act according to which the ECP may assume that women voters have been restrained from casting their votes if the turnout of women voters is found to be less than 10 per cent of the total votes polled in a constituency.



In case such a situation arises, the ECP may declare elections on one or two polling stations or the whole constituency void.

Malakand Division in K-P is infamous for women disenfranchisement.

Most recently, the ECP had been compelled to declare by-elections on local government seats in Upper Dir since in December 2017 candidates had restrained women from casting their votes through verbal agreements. The by-elections were held again in March 2018 after the ECP had declared them void on women disenfranchisement.