Women and voting: a long road ahead

September 15 was a historic day for women in Upper Dir as they came out to vote for the first time in decades. An estimated 1,500 women voted in the PK-93 by-election although many polling stations for women still remained deserted. This comes months after women were barred from voting in the May 7 by-poll for PK-95, when all political parties, including the ANP, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the PTI, reportedly banned women from exercising their right to vote. Of the 47,280 women voters in Lower Dir, not one had come out to exercise her right to vote in PK-95.

Given this, the turnout at the PK-93 by-poll is an important development. However, in this day and age, while this must be appreciated, it should not be seen as a huge achievement. The right to vote is the most basic of rights and instead of only appreciating the fact that some women came out to vote, we need to question why others did not. Results from polling stations that do not have a minimum turnout of women voters should simply be nullified. The fact that women were able to vote in PK-93 can be credited to the election commission, which had earlier declared the result of PK-95 void, based on the prohibitions placed on women in that by-poll. It is hoped that this verdict will set the right precedent. Authorities also need to monitor areas where a lack of women turning out to vote has gone unchecked for years. Political parties, too, need to engage women voters. As as a society, we need to ask for more when it comes to women’s rights. Women should not only have the basic right to vote, but also easy access to polling stations and there need to be awareness campaigns to ensure independent voting. There is always the possibility of women being forced to vote based solely on family decisions and this must be actively discouraged. While this latest development needs to be welcomed, we should only be truly celebrating when we can ensure that all citizens, including women, are able to enjoy all their political rights.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th,  2015.

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