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Thursday March 28, 2024

CSO representatives want steps to ensure women enfranchisement

PESHAWAR: The civil society organizations on Thursday urged the government to put an end to structured violence against women in politics by making effective legislation. The demand was made at meeting of the civil society alliances. Representatives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network, Tribal NGOs Consortium (TNC), MEN UNiTE (Men

By our correspondents
May 29, 2015
PESHAWAR: The civil society organizations on Thursday urged the government to put an end to structured violence against women in politics by making effective legislation.
The demand was made at meeting of the civil society alliances. Representatives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network, Tribal NGOs Consortium (TNC), MEN UNiTE (Men Against Violence and Abuse Alliance), EVAW/Alliance, National Action Coordination Group (KP & FATA Chapters) and KP Working Women Labour Union attended the meeting.
The participants emphasised that voting was a constitutional, legal, and political right of every eligible voter in Pakistan, including women. They said any attempt, direct or indirect, and visible or otherwise, to disenfranchise woman voters is against the spirit of free and fair elections and pluralistic and representative democracy.
They said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) must fulfill its constitutional responsibility to conduct free and fair elections. The civil society representatives said polling arrangements for man and woman voters should be made in a culturally sensitive and appropriate ways.
The government through the district administration should make special arrangements to keep watch on speeches and statements by people who declare woman voting as un-Islamic. The speakers called for appropriate action against those who disenfranchise women from voting.
The participants of the meeting also appreciated the recommendations of the parliamentary panel that recommended to the ECP to declare null and void the election results of any constituency where the ratio of woman voters is found to be than 10 percent of the total turnout.