Drive on to reduce gender gap in electoral rolls: official

PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is striving to eliminate the gender gap in electoral rolls, said Joint Provincial Election Commissioner (Elections) Muhammad Fareed Afridi on Wednesday.

He was addressing a meeting of the Gender and Disability Electoral Working Group held at the office of the Provincial Election Commissioner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.The meeting, which aimed to facilitate women’s obtaining of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs), was attended by Director Elections Muhammad Nadeem Khan, spokesperson of the Provincial Election Commissioner Suhail Ahmad, representatives from NADRA, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Women Commission, and civil society organizations.

The official mentioned that the fifth phase of the Inclusive Women CNIC & Voter Registration Campaign has been launched recently by the Election Commission to reduce the gender gap in electoral rolls.

Fareed stated that the previous four phases of this campaign promoted equal electoral participation for women and other marginalized groups, thereby strengthening their involvement in the democratic process.

He said that democracy flourishes when every voice is heard and every citizen is given the opportunity to shape their future through their vote.The official shared that the ECP has reduced the gender gap in electoral rolls from 11.8 per cent to 7.4 percent as of January 2025, which is a clear testament to the tireless efforts of the commission.

He congratulated all stakeholders who worked diligently during the previous four phases of the campaign, enabling this important milestone to be achieved.Fareed added that the ECP has also developed a five-year action plan to ensure greater inclusion and representation of women and marginalized communities. A special budgeting process has been initiated in this regard.

Director Elections Muhammad Nadeem emphasized the need for joint efforts to ensure the registration and participation of every citizen, especially women and marginalized groups, in the electoral process.

Representatives from civil society put forward suggestions and assured full support to the Election Commission in its campaign for registering underrepresented communities, particularly women.NADRA’s Deputy Director Shahid Khan briefed the participants on the special measures taken to facilitate the public, especially women, transgender persons, and senior citizens.