Monitoring Cell Formed for Women’s Inclusive Elections

News Desk

Peshawar: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women has taken the initiative to establish a monitoring cell to ensure the inclusion of women in the election process.

This cell will be reachable through phone numbers 091-9216097, 091-9216107, and WhatsApp at 0316-9088829.

The special cell’s purpose is to receive reports and feedback from the field concerning challenges encountered by women voters and any instances of women being obstructed from voting in any part of the province.

This step aims to enhance the accessibility and security of the electoral process for women, fostering a more inclusive and equitable election environment.

To address this matter, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women organized a consultation involving pertinent government and civil society stakeholders.

The objective was to brief them on the Commission’s strategy aimed at protecting women’s interests during the upcoming general elections in the province. The consultation also sought to identify potential areas of collaboration, fostering a collective effort to ensure inclusive elections for women on February 8, 2024.

The commission’s cell will establish a connection with the gender desk and control room of the Election Commission of Pakistan to facilitate prompt resolution.

During the session, Deputy Director Sohail Ahmad from ECP briefed participants on measures being implemented to create a fair atmosphere for women in the 2024 elections. He also provided an orientation on the Code of Conduct for observers.

Saima Munir of the Aurat Foundation conducted a technical session, focusing on various aspects of monitoring elections through a gender lens.

This included the allocation of 5 percent of general seat tickets to women party workers by political parties to qualify for election symbols. She also highlighted the mandatory minimum 10 percent voter turnout as required by the Election Act 2017.

Chief Khatib Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Mufti Tayyab Qureshi, made a special appearance and emphasized the clear Islamic injunctions supporting women’s rights, stating that Islam does not prohibit women from voting.

Secretary of KPCSW, Robin Haider Bokhari, emphasized that monitoring women’s inclusivity in elections was the core mandate of KPCSW. Dr Noreen Naseer, a member of KPCSW, stressed the commission’s reliance on civil society support to encourage women’s participation in elections.

Participants expressed their commitment to collaborating with KPCSW, pledging to promote educational materials and disseminate monitoring cell numbers within their networks at the grassroots level. This collective effort aims to ensure women’s inclusive participation in the elections on February 8, 2024.