PESHAWAR, May 13: A written agreement reportedly signed by local leaders of major political parties in Lower Dir surfaced on Monday showing them all making commitment not to allow women to cast vote in their area, Mian Kalae, during the May 11 elections.

The one-page agreement carries the signatures of seven local leaders and seven other witnesses of the PK-95 constituency of Lower Dir from where former provincial minister Sirajul Haq of Jamaat-i-Islami has been declared winner.

Women didn’t exercise their franchise in the area on last Saturday.

The leaders who have reportedly signed the deal include Haji Abdur Rehman Khan of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Malik Rehmatullah of Pakistan People’s Party, Aizazul Mulk Afkari of Jamaat-i-Islami, Dr Nazeer of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Abdul Wahid of Awami National Party, Qari Ubaidullah of Rah-i-Haq Party and Dr Deedar of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Among them, Malik Rehmat and Dr Deedar were also contesting candidates.

The agreement states: “Today on May 10, 2013, we have unanimously decided that in accordance with the decision of our district leaders in all the women polling stations of PK-95,

including that of Mian Kalae this time women will not participate in polling due to existing circumstances.”

It added that if any party or individual violated the decision, then the said representative of the party would be bound to pay a fine of Rs5 million to the jirga members, whereas other parties would stop voting through use of force and through army and police and the polling station would be shut down.

While it was reported that in some areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, agreements had taken place among political groups against women voting, but in all those cases, they were all verbal agreements, whose existence was denied by all parties.