Women in Pakistan gained the right to vote in 1956, almost a decade after the country’s creation. Historians maintain that gaining the right to vote in a newly established state was a big achievement for women, that too in a patriarchal society. Since then, successive governments have strived to bring about various reforms to create an inclusive political environment for women. But observers say issues persist in granting women electoral rights.
According to Nadra chairman, Tariq Malik, it has been discovered over 10 per cent gender gap is found in 80 districts of Pakistan. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district alone, the gender gap was reported as high as 52 per cent. Activists say that in a democratic country such a massive difference in political participation of both genders sends alarming signals, calling for the authorities to address the issue on war-footing.
Experts have noticed that until recently the incumbent government has taken a few measures to ensure the equality of women in voting. Since 2017, 10.7 million women had been registered with Nadra, providing them the platform to participate in policymaking.
Sharing the details of the reforms exclusively made for women Tariq Malik said that “258 Nadra registration centres have become operational, 10 megacentres are working 24/7 and 53 centres are operating with double shifts.” Arrangements have been made by Nadra to ensure women get registered at a fast pace to narrow the existing gender gap as soon as possible.
The government says it is taking stringent measures to bring about reforms in the country in order to provide an enabling environment for women to vote. However, critics argue that it has yet to deal with the religious and social constraint placed around women to step out with confidence and partake in political activities.
Analysts say that another fact that contributes towards low voting turnout of women is the hidden agreements that are made between the elders of a village and political parties in certain constituencies. This practice is widely present in former FATA region where the elder chief takes the most important decisions. Activists maintain that restriction of women to the boundaries of the house has prevented them from acting as strong “agents of change” in the country.
It has been found through a survey that some women do not participate in elections as they lack national ID cards and find it difficult to move to distant places to get them registered as citizens and on electoral rolls. Observers have revealed that often the husbands do not have an understanding of the importance of vote and its future impact, therefore women do not feel encouraged about their presence in the elections. Those who own ID cards have been observed to note vote owing to an array of reasons, including a lack of awareness on political change or even their male guardians not allowing them to vote.
The electoral disparity is yet another offshoot of Pakistan being an extremely patriarchal society where women often do not have their personal choices or opinions and their husbands or guardians own their lives. According to a survey, 30.4 percent of men in the country maintained that it was not appropriate for women to express their thoughts on politics while 64 percent said it was not appropriate for women to appear as political party workers.
Analysts say that another fact that contributes towards low voting turnout of women is the hidden agreements that are made between the elders of a village and political parties in certain constituencies. This practice is widely present in former FATA region where the elder chief takes the most important decisions. Activists maintain that restriction of women to the boundaries of the house has prevented them from acting as strong “agents of change” in the country.
Former federal secretary Rukhsana Shah expressed her disappointment on the lack of political will in the government to propose the solutions. “[The government] did not appear to have the capacity to develop an alternative narrative to the rampant obscurantism proliferating throughout the country,” she said.
Many women in Pakistan believe that their situation cannot be improved, and they are bound to live around problems forever. Observers say that due to illiteracy and lack of awareness they have convinced themselves that their participation in the elections will not bring forth any change, so it is useless to come forward and show their presence. They have failed to understand that the problems of females are best understood by their own self rather than the male counterparts. Activists say that only women can better put an end to their own issues and hence they should get themselves eligible to vote in decision-making forums.
The recent Global Gender Gap Index Report 2021 by World Economic Forum ranked Pakistan at 153rd out of 156th position. These and other stats are highlighted by activists to urge women participation, especially given that gender equality is one of the prime purposes of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to SDG 5, ensuring “equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.”
Experts say that women can be encouraged to participate in national elections regularly through rigorous state policy. A relevant step taken by the state in this direction was introducing a clause in Election Act 2017, according to which in the constituencies where women voters comprise less than 10 percent turnout, the election commission can declare the results of the election null and void and call for a reelection. Through the clause was lauded by rights groups, yet observers say its implementation has remained quite unsatisfactory.
“The ECP’s gender-specific policies must go together with initiatives to develop a political culture that encourages the participation of women,” notes analyst Sara Mahmood.
“The government should also urge mainstream political parties to make women’s involvement a key aspect of campaigns.”
Activists say Nadra should enlist all the areas of the country where women lack national ID cards and send them text messages to get registered. They say that there should a general drive or campaign launched by Nadra, stressing upon the “rapid registration of women” and issuing their ID cards.
