Women barred from casting ballot

Decision was taken by meeting of ‘influentials’ days before LG polls

ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of women voters were barred to exercise their fundamental right at one of the union councils in Chakwal District during the recently held first phase of local government (LG) elections in Punjab.

The decision to exclude women voters was made during a jirga held days before the scheduled elections.



According to a local, the number of registered voters in these two villages is 10,700.

Participants at the jirga included representatives of both contesting candidates from union council (UC) 67.

UC 67 comprises three villages in total. Women from the villages of Dharnal and Bhalwal did not cast their votes. PML-N candidate Malik Yar Muhammad won the election in UC 67.



Mohammad Zubair of the Potohar Organisation for Development Advocacy said their observers also noted the trend. Zubair said women were not allowed to cast votes under a mutual agreement between influential stakeholders.

He called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to probe into the matter.

ECP spokesperson Iftikhar Raja said the commission would check to see if it had received any complaints in this regard. Raja said he could not comment on the issue further, and that the facts would be ascertained upon receipt of complaint.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2015.