PK-67 by-polls: Women stay away from polling in three UCs

Residents claim local tradition, long travelling distances prevented participation of women.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:

Women residents of DI Khan did not undertake the right of franchise at three union councils (UCs) of Kulachi tehsil during by-elections in PK-67 on Sunday.

DI Khan District Police Officer (DPO) Nisar Ali Marwat confirmed the report claiming the area where women did not vote is inhabited by the Ustherana tribe, which moved to the settled areas from Frontier Region DI Khan a long time ago.

Even though women-only polling stations were set up in Kot Sultan, Musa Zai and Kari Shamozai UCs, women did not come to vote during polling hours.

DPO Marwat said there was no jirga decision that prevented women from voting instead they stayed away due to local traditions of the area. He added the overall polling was peaceful owing to tight security measures taken by the administration.

A resident of Kulachi, Mazhar Gandapur, said the zero turnout of women was due to the distances of people’s homes from polling stations, local custom of pardah and the government’s failure to launch an awareness drive to bring women voters to the polling booths.

The PK-67 seat was vacated after former legislator Israrullah Gandapur was killed in a suicide attack on October 16, along with nine others. Gandapur was the law and parliamentary affairs minister in the provincial government.

The constituency covers Kulachi tehsil and has a total of 48,000 female and 62,000 male voters.

The total number of polling stations in PK-67 was 91 out of which 22 were for men and 18 for women while the rest were combined stations with separate booths for men and women.

Voting started at 8am at the 91 polling stations and ended at 5pm.

Two policemen injured in grenade attack

Meanwhile, two policemen were injured in a gun and grenade attack on the Government Middle School Gura Gull Dad in Kulachi tehsil. Unidentified assailants attacked the school on Saturday night.

An official of the Kulachi police station said polling staff was present at the school at the time of the incident.

According to the official, armed militants on four motorcycles tried to enter the school – which was to serve as a polling station. This resulted in an exchange of fire with the police.

Constables Muhammad Imran and Umar Farooq of the Frontier Reserve Police were injured in the incident.

The attackers escaped from the scene after police officials retaliated.

On the report of injured constable Imran, a case was registered against unidentified culprits at Kulachi police station.

Police began a search for the culprits but no arrests were made till this report was filed.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2013