ISLAMABAD:
Responding to reports of a purported fatwa (Islamic decree) barring women from voting in Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) debunked the claim on Monday, asserting its commitment to combat any restrictions on women’s participation in elections.
However, the electoral body clarified that if any woman faced impediments in campaigning or voting during the upcoming elections, it will invoke Section 9 of the Elections Act to take appropriate action.
The ECP stressed that it has the authority to declare the election process null and void in any constituency where women are unjustly barred from participating in the electoral process.
Prompted by circulating reports in select media outlets, the ECP promptly responded to claims indicating that a group of scholars in the Kohistan region had purportedly issued a fatwa prohibiting women from participating in election-related activities.
To investigate the matter, the electoral body summoned a report from the district monitoring officer in Upper Kohistan, who clarified in his findings that the news was inaccurate and stemmed from a misunderstanding.
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Meanwhile, National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Chairperson Nilofar Bakhtiar expressed her concern and urged both the chief election commissioner and the K-P election commissioner to take swift action regarding the alleged fatwa.
In a letter addressed to the CEC and K-P election commissioner, Bakhtiar feared that women might be denied the right to vote.
Declaring the fatwa as contradictory to Islam and the constitution, the letter stressed the importance of ensuring equal voting rights for women in a safe and conducive environment.
The NCSW chairperson called upon election authorities to uphold the fundamental right of women to participate in the electoral process.
