Large voter turnout witnessed in tribal areas of K-P

Women cast their votes in Mohmand, South Waziristan tribal districts

PESHAWAR: After years of conflict in the tribal districts, a large number of men and women participated in the electoral process on Wednesday in the tribal districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

In NA-49 (South Waziristan), which remained a bastion of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, women turned out in large numbers to vote. A video showed Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) staff guiding women voters on the correct manner to cast their votes.




Similarly, women walked miles in the tribal district of Mohmand to exercise their democratic right to choose.

Women proceed to polling stations. PHOTO: EXPRESS

DC Mohmand Wasif Saeed told The Express Tribune that women voter turnout in the area is expected to touch 50 per cent. He added that previously turnout hovered around 3 per cent.

Women vote in Mohmand district. PHOTO: EXPRESS

In Peshawar, women were briefly barred from voting in parts of NA-29 and PK-72 due to an agreement between locals and contestants.



However, they were allowed to vote after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) took serious notice of the incident.

It is pertinent to note that despite ECP's notification, only one woman was able to vote at a polling station in the Haji Banda area.

A local councillor told The Express Tribune that women have never been allowed to participate in the electoral process in the village of Haji Banda. He added that elders had reached an agreement with contestants and their representatives on the matter. “Women voting is against the local tradition and Pakhtun culture," he claimed.

The women voter turnout in Pk 79 (Peshawar XIV) areas including Ahmad khel and Bazid Khel villages has been the lowest so far.