This time around, women not too enthusiastic

Most polling stations wear deserted look.

ISLAMABAD:

In urban areas of Islamabad, the turnout of women voters was disappointingly low on Thursday, especially when compared to the serpentine lines outside polling stations during the general election held in May.

On the day of the by-election, women chose not to make a fashion statement in sharp contrast to May 11, when women stepped out to cast their vote dressed in flowing kurtas with a flag of the latest political party painted on their faces.

From 8am till 5pm, the polling staff in NA-48 waited for voters to show up, but the turnout remained very low. “We were ready to receive a large number of voters but now its 2pm and hardly 100 voters have cast their votes out of 1,500,” said the presiding officer at FG Boys Secondary School, Golra Sharif, who wished not to be named. “So far the voters who have come in are either senior citizens or youngsters, but they lack the enthusiasm of May 11.”

“During the general election it took me three hours to cast my vote but today it took hardly three minutes,” said Rukhsana Jabeen who had come along with her daughter to cast her vote.

Jabeen was of the view that the reason behind the low turnout was the disappointing performance of the present government.

Saadia Qamar said, “The majority party is in power, so what difference will voting make this time?”

Zovia Arshad another voter recalled her experience during the general elections that how this polling station was jam-packed with voters eager to cast their votes and the exchange of heated arguments which took place between rival voters.

The polling station was inaccessible to persons with disabilities as it was set on the first floor. There were no ramps or wheelchairs and the stairs were too narrow for two persons to climb at a time. A 70-year-old woman struggled to reach the polling booth with the support of two young companions to cast her vote.

Mehreen, another voter said she had followed the general elections because of the hype that was created, but this time she was not fully aware of who the candidates were and what they had to offer. “Last time we were so enthusiastic and believed that we were doing this for a change. However, this time it was just a formality.”

At the F-7/3 polling station, the presiding officer said there were more than 400 women registered from F-7 and E-7 but only close to 100 had come in.

“Maybe it’s a working day and this is a posh sector of the capital so they will probably come later,” said one of the staffers at the polling station in F-7/3.

The situation was similar in another polling station in F-7/2 where at around 2:30 pm only 70 women had come to vote out of 692 registered women.

A presiding officer suggested the Election Commission should engage women from all government sectors and not just teachers.

“We put our lives at stake and spend the whole day sitting in polling stations, why are women from other government departments not deputed here?” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.