JAVED KHAN
PESHAWAR
The capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Peshawar, is grappling with a persistent challenge of a low turnout among female voters, casting a shadow over efforts to enhance women’s engagement in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8, 2024.
The city has a significant electorate, with five National Assembly and eight Provincial Assembly seats, drawing from a pool of 2.26 million registered voters, including 1.12 million male voters and 0.90 million female voters.
In the 2018 general elections, male turnout in Peshawar’s five National Assembly constituencies—NA-27 Peshawar-1, NA-28 Peshawar-II, NA-29 Peshawar-III, NA-30 Peshawar-IV, and NA-31 Peshawar-V—ranged from 51.18% to 57.87%.
In stark contrast, female turnout in these constituencies remained notably lower, ranging from 24.78% to 28.93%, as per Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) data.
The challenge extends to the Provincial Assembly, where 50% of constituencies recorded female turnout lower than 30%, and none surpassed 40%.
Peshawar-V, in particular, saw a remarkably low female turnout of 10.4% during the 2017 by-elections, according to ECP statistics.
The 2018 general elections marked a historic moment as gender-disaggregated voter turnout was recorded at the polling station level for the first time in the country’s history.
The data revealed a stark difference between male and female turnout in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), with 51.77% male turnout and 32.96% female turnout, making it the province with the widest gender gap in voter participation.
The 2013 general elections also highlighted the gender disparity in Peshawar, with only 39.57% of registered men and 23.08% of registered women exercising their voting rights, as per ECP data.
Notably, none of the political parties contesting in the mentioned constituencies nominated any woman candidate.
It is pertinent to mention here that Peshawar was among the four districts of the province where barring women from voting was observed, says FAFEN report.
Dr. Hamida BiBi, a lecturer at Bacha Khan Medical College Mardan, conducted a research paper in 2020 titled “Causes of Low Turnout of Women in the General Election: A Case Study of District Peshawar.”
The study identified lack of facilities, poorly arranged polling booths shared with men, absence of female staff, and the lack of secrecy as hurdles preventing women from casting votes.
The research revealed that nearly all polling stations in Peshawar lacked toilet facilities for female voters and staff, further discouraging women from participating in elections.
Despite efforts to bridge the gender gap in voter registration, as reported by the National Database Regulation Authority (NADRA), nearly 10 million women have been added to the electoral rolls since the 2018 general election.
The total number of registered female voters now stands at 56.95 million in the country. However, the overall gender gap in the country remains at 8.9%, with KP and Balochistan experiencing a gap exceeding 10%.
Recognizing the importance of gender equality, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, advocates stress that ensuring women’s participation in elections is not just a fundamental human right but also crucial for building a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable society.
A total of 22 females have submitted nomination papers for Provincial Assembly seats, and seven females have submitted papers for National Assembly seats for upcoming general elections, according to documents shared by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
However, concerns arise as no female candidates have submitted nomination papers for specific constituencies, including NA-28, PK-74, PK-77, and PK-84 in Peshawar.
Addressing the challenges faced by female voters in Peshawar is crucial for fostering a more inclusive and representative democratic process.
Efforts to improve facilities at polling stations, ensure the presence of female staff, and uphold the secrecy of the voting process are imperative to encourage greater participation among female voters in the upcoming elections.
Sohail Khan, spokesperson for the provincial election commission, said that in the 2018 general elections, the voter turnout on National Assembly seats was recorded at an average of 44 percent.
He claimed that ECP has been working to educate people about the voting process and especially women voters for the last two years, adding that a comprehensive drive is underway at educational institutions to increase overall voter turnout for upcoming general elections.
Mr Khan furthered that the provincial elections commission is actively working with civil society and relevant stakeholders to increase the women participation in general elections and district offices.
“In some districts such Dir, Bunner, Lakki Marwat, ECP in 2018 general elections observed modest turnout compared to 2013 elections and the electoral watchdog in collaboration with civil society mobilized men and women to exercise their right of vote,” he said.
According to ECP data, in the 2018 general elections, turnout was highest in Punjab 56.8% and lowest in KP 41.5%. Voter turnout in Balochistan was marginally higher than in KP in the last general elections, said ECP data.
Shagufta Malik, Awami National Party (ANP) candidate on general seat for PK-73 Peshawar-II, says that political parties should train women voters before the elections, in order to increase women turnout, it is important to inform women about how to vote, what things are important for voting and how.
Importance of Identity card, voter registration, use of ballot paper, and its confidentiality are steps that need to be given to our women voters for general and local body elections in the province, she said.
ANP leader said that all political parties of the province should take necessary steps to make women aware and participate in elections whenever they go on an election campaign.
The government bears the responsibility of actively engaging the local community, women leaders, and state institutions to increase women’s voter turnout and promote their participation for more inclusive and balanced election outcomes, she added.
Muslim Taj, the President of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ( PTI) District Peshawar Rural women wing, highlighted the voting challenges in certain union councils of Peshawar, such as Budh Bir, Sulaiman Khel, Hasan Khel, and Achini Bala, where women refrain from voting.
She emphasized that a significant number of rural women in Peshawar lack identity cards, and many are not even registered as voters. The PTI Women’s wing has consistently raised this issue with the Election Commission of Pakistan Peshawar Office, advocating for training programs in rural areas to familiarize women with the election process.
Taj suggested that all political parties should conduct door-to-door campaigns through women to encourage greater female participation in upcoming general elections.
Farzana Ali, Bureau Chief of Aaj Tv in Peshawar, noted that in the last general elections, numerous polling stations in rural Peshawar were empty.
When questioned, the local community revealed that women in those areas were not allowed to cast their votes.
Despite a slight increase in the percentage of female voters reported by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in subsequent elections, Farzana recommended that the ECP should make it mandatory for polling stations to achieve a minimum of 20 or 25 percent voter turnout for the results to be accepted. She emphasized the need for strict enforcement of this requirement in upcoming elections.
Farzana also cautioned against relying on political parties to address women’s voting issues, citing past instances where parties made agreements to restrict women from voting in various regions, including Dir, Bajaur, and even in the provincial capital, Peshawar.
Consequently, she stressed that both the Election Commission and the government must take decisive steps to ensure women’s active participation in the election process and maximize their voting potential for upcoming general elections.
