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PESHAWAR: The polling for local bodies election in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) started at 8:00 am on Saturday (today, ARY News reported.
Election Commission takes note of reports of women being denied their right to vote
The Election Commission of Pakistan has taken note of reports of women being denied their right to vote in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s local elections currently underway. It has directed the returning officers to ensure that female voters are able to exercise their right to franchise within their jurisdictions. However, given that this instruction has come so late on polling day, it remains unclear to what extent it will be practically implemented on the ground.
Complaints of women not being allowed to vote, of instances of violence and rigging have been reported so far in today’s ongoing local bodies elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Several reports of women not being allowed to vote or of polling station being shut entirely. A day before the election the United National Development Programme and the European Union had issued a statement asking the provincial governments to ensure that women are able to exercise their right to vote.
Not a single women vote polled in Union Council Adeena, Swabi, registered women voters are 4615.#LGKP2015#Pakistan
— Iftikhar Firdous (@IftikharFirdous)May 30, 2015
An empty women’s polling station in Kabal, Swat — Source: Twitter
3 women injured at polling station
Three women were reported injured in firing at a polling station in the Nasapa area near Peshawar. The military was called in to restore order.
Troops take control of tense Abbottabad polling station
The Army troops took control of polling station number 458 of Abbottabad after tensions between the supporters of the rival candidates. A number of high profile candidates contesting local bodies elections in Abbottabad including Shamoon Abbasi a son of Governor Mehtab Abbasi.
This morning as the polling began across the province complaints of restraining the women voters to exercise their right to vote reported at scores of the polling stations in Dera Ismail Khan, Charsadda, Nowshera, Hangu and Swabi districts.
Voting taking place earlier today at the Swat Press Club – which was converted into a polling station by the district administration.
Read More: Women’s right to vote in quesion during KP local polls
A joint statement by European Union and United Nations Development Programme on Friday urged the Pakistani government and the government of KPK to take notice of the fact that women were being restrained from voting, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Incident of scuffles among supporters of rival candidates
At several polling stations scuffles reported among the supporters of the rival candidates. The supporters of various political parties engaged in scuffles in Peshawar, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan and exchanged blows. The supporters of candidates also alleged irregularities against rivals.
In Kohat a candidate of tehsil council Zameer Gul was abducted from union council Shor Gul while presiding officer has been reported missing in Bannu with ballot papers.
Rampant incidents of restraining women voters
The local people with a consensus decision prohibited the women to cast their votes in Deena union council in district Swabi. In the area 4615 women have been registered as voters. Moreover, Men entered in a polling station of Abbottabad to forbid women from casting their votes.
Local people forcefully stopped polling at a women polling station in union council Haji Zai in Charsadda.
In Nowshera local elders stopped women to cast their votes in union council Bhallo in the ongoing local bodies election. According to reports the women were also stopped to cast their votes in Tank district.
In a union council of the provincial capital city Peshawar local people forcefully stopped polling at a women polling station in union council 41.
In Dera Ismail Khan local elders in union council Kech deprived the women voters from exercising their right to vote again. The women of the area could not cast their votes in elections for last 30 years.
The election commission has directed the provincial government and District Returning Officers (DROs) to take steps as women could cast their votes.
Police captured bogus ballot papers from the car of a candidate at Charsadda’s Tangi road. Police arrested four people in the car.
In Pakistan’s northwestern province over 84,000 candidates contesting for 41,762 seats of local councils in 26 districts of the region.
The candidates of major political parties PTI, PML-N, PPP, Jamat Islami, ANP and JUI contesting with their parties election symbols.
Around 5000 candidates in the province have returned unopposed in the election.
Under the electoral rules the electioneering was concluded 24 hours before the polling.
Over 10 million voters of the province will use their right to vote today to elect their representatives for local councils-the grassroots level democratic institutions.
The election authorities have declared 2500 polling stations of the province as sensitive and stern security arrangements have been made to avoid any untoward incident during the election.
LIVE: Complaints of women not being allowed to vote, violence and rigging mar KP local elections | ARY NEWS
ECP takes notice of preventing women from voting in Swabi
The female voters alleged that only PTI workers are allowed to enter the polling stations.
SWABI (Dunya News) – Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken a notice of refraining women from participating in LB election in Swabi today (Saturday),Dunya Newsreported.
Women were barred from casting their votes in Sultanabad creating difficulties for them on which the female voters urged the concerning department to take action of the incident. They further alleged that only Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf s (PTI s) women are allowed to enter the polling stations.
ECP has directed the district Returning Officer (RO) to launch investigation into the matter according to law and added that women have full right to cast their vote.
On the other hand, large number of women in Dera Ismail Khan and Lower Dir reached the polling stations to utilize their voting right and stated to change the old and traditional form of government.
Meanwhile, polling was halted in Peshawar as male voters tried to enter the female polling stations.
The polling process has also faced delay due to the bad administrative performance and negligence of local government.
KP LB polls: ECP takes notice of preventing women from voting in Swabi | Pakistan | Dunya News
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