THE upholders of a patriarchal system that would deny women the right of franchise have suffered a severe and much-deserved setback.

Taking notice of the fact that none of the 47,280 women registered as voters in the Lower Dir constituency of PK-95 turned out to cast their ballot in the by-poll held there on May 7, the Election Commission of Pakistan, in a landmark verdict, recently declared the election void.

Know more: ECP voids Dir by-poll result over women vote bar

In a unanimous decision, it said it would not notify the returned candidate and that the by-poll would be held again. An unequivocal stance by the ECP on women’s disenfranchisement has been long awaited, and this verdict hopefully demonstrates that the commission is no longer prepared to have the wool pulled over its eyes in the matter.

Even in the absence of a written agreement to prevent women from voting, the ECP has evidently realised through its inquiry that ‘cultural reasons’ do not convincingly explain the non-appearance of women at the hustings.

Casting a vote means expressing an opinion, an act of self-determination, which is something that retrogressive quarters in certain parts of the country are loath to allow women, for that would dilute the absolute control that men exercise over them in those social milieus. In election after election, they have — either partially or completely — managed to deny women their right of franchise in Mianwali, Battagram, Bajaur, Upper and Lower Dir, etc.

This is often achieved through pacts between tribal elders, local religious leaders and even representatives of political parties that otherwise champion the rights of women.

The collusion of the latter in this patently illegal practice indicates the extent to which deeply entrenched antediluvian traditions can trump the basic principles of democracy.

Although there was no written agreement this time around, following a hue and cry by rights activists earlier, the by-election in Lower Dir was a litmus test for the ECP’s resolve to protect women’s right to vote in the face of more indirect, devious ways to thwart its mandate.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2015

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