PESHAWAR: A total of 11,211 polling stations will be set up in 24 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the upcoming local council elections.

Among them, 3,428 are for men, 3,059 for women and 4,724 combined.

While the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Peshawar High Court have yet to decide the controversy over the alleged disenfranchisement of women in the recent Lower Dir by-elections, most polling stations in some backward and conservative districts are combined.

In those stations, separate polling booths will be set up for men and women.

However, they will be situated on the same premises on May 30, the polling day.

According to the polling scheme for elections announced by the ECP on Thursday, the highest number of 1,003 polling stations will be established in Peshawar, including 518 for men, 439 for women and 46 combined.

Most polling stations in some backward, conservative districts combined

In Torghar, which was given the status of district in 2011 and is considered one of the most conservative districts in the province, there will be no separate polling stations for men and women and all 93 polling stations are combined.

Similarly, in Lower Dir, where the absence of women in the recent by-elections was reported, there will be 355 polling stations including 329 combined and 13 each for men and women.

In the adjacent Upper Dir, where the issue of women’s disenfranchisement surfaced in the past, there will be a total of 289 polling stations, including 268 combined, 11 for men and 10 for women.

Following the by-election in Lower Dir PK-95 constituency one of the criticism against the ECP was that majority of the polling stations were combined, which provided excuse to local influential to keep women away from polling.

“The polling scheme is mostly based on previous polls and one of the reasons for setting up combined stations is the non-availability of feasible government infrastructure there,” said an official of the ECP adding that polling stations could not be set up in private premises.

The official, who wished not to be named, said the combined stations didn’t mean that men and women would have the same polling booths.

“At combined polling stations, women will have separate polling booths and staff. Until now, nobody has objected to these polling stations,” he said.

According to the statement showing number of polling stations, out of total 265 polling stations in Chitral only three each will be separate whereas rest of the 259 will be combined stations. Similarly, in Shangla there will be 235 stations including 175 combined, 31 for men and 29 for women.

In Batagram, out of total 193 stations, 111 will be combined and 41 each will be separate stations for men and women.

The list shows that 591 stations will be set up in Nowshera including 220 for men, 202 for women and 169 combined stations. Furthermore, 536 stations will be established in Charssada, including 256 for men, 214 for women and 66 combined.

Following Peshawar, the largest number of 997 polling stations will be established in Mardan, including 320 for men, 275 for women and 402 combined.

In Swabi, 757 polling stations will be established with 414 for men, 329 for women and 14 combined.

In southern Kohat district, of the total 432 stations, 200 will be combined, 124 for men and 108 for women.

Similarly, in another southern district of Karak, of the total 334 polling stations, 163 will be combined, 86 for men and 85 for women.

In Hangu, 92 of the total 186 polling stations will be combined, 49 for men and 45 for women.

As for other districts, Abbottabad will have 646 polling stations, including 485 combined, 81 for men and 80 for women; Haripur 510, including 340 combined and 85 each for men and women; Mansehra 759, including 323 combined, 220 for men and 216 for women; Swat 709, including 258 combined, 228 for men and 223 for women; Malakand 294, including 124 combined, 86 for men and 84 for women; Bannu 453, including 136 combined, 169 for men and 148 for women; Lakki Marwat 393, including 105 combined, 151 for men and 137 for women; DI Khan 673, including 266 combined, 213 for men and 194 for women, and Tank 156, including 63 combined, 49 for men and 44 for women.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2015

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