ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was Thursday informed that as per a recent survey, a good number of females in 20 districts did not possess CNICs, being one of the major reasons for the gender gap in the electoral rolls.
A meeting of the ECP, regarding the strategic plan to mitigate the Gender Gap in Electoral Rolls (GGER), was held here at the ECP Secretariat under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Sikandar Sultan Raja.
During the meeting, a briefing was given by the Additional Director General – Gender Affairs (ECP), Ms. Nighat Siddique, highlighting that the gender gap in the electoral rolls had further gone down to 10.4 % as evident from the electoral rolls published in March 2021.
Major findings of the pilot project, which was carried out in the recent past by the ECP in 20 districts to verify the gender gap in the electoral rolls and to identify its reasons, were shared by the ADG Gender Affairs with the ECP. The meeting was told that major reason for the said gender gap was that a number of female residents of the said districts did not possess CNICs.
The survey hinted towards distant Nadra registration centers, complex CNIC registration processes, socio–cultural challenges and lack of awareness as major reasons of non-possession of CNICs by the female population, the meeting was told.
The forum was apprised of the recommendations of the pilot project including special measures to be taken by the ECP, Nadra and ECP’s implementing partners to further mitigate the gender gap in the electoral rolls. A strategy formed on the basis of the recommendations of the pilot project including the action plan for the next two years providing initiatives to restrain the gender gap, giving out roles to various stakeholders working with ECP along with timelines against each strategic action were shared during the briefing.
The ECP, during the meeting, directed for close coordination with ECP field offices, Nadra field coordinators and implementing partners working with the grass root level communities. It was also stressed to arrange gender sensitive trainings of ECP and Nadra field staff engaged for the said NIC/voter registration campaign. The ECP also emphasized to devise a monitoring mechanism for vigilant monitoring of the whole process of NIC/voter registration along with the timelines.
The ECP appreciated the initiatives and efforts made by the Gender Affairs Wing to decrease the gender gap in electoral rolls and further directed for updates and briefing on the progress regarding female NIC/voter registration campaign, after every two months. Next meeting of ECP in this regard would be held on 29th June, 2021.