PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief khateeb Mufti Tayyab Qureshi on Thursday said Islam didn’t stop women from participating in elections as voters.

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       “Islam has clear instructions about women’s rights. There’s no restriction on their [women] right to vote,” Mr Qureshi told a consultation by the KP Commission on the Status of Women on its strategy for “safeguarding women’s interests in general elections.”

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       He said he was committed to working with the KPCSW for women-inclusive elections on Feb 8.

       Election Commission of Pakistan deputy director Sohail Ahmad briefed participants on the ECP’s measures for creating a “fair” atmosphere for women to participate in elections.

       Saima Munir of the Aurat Foundation, who was also in attendance, said allocation of five per cent of assembly general seats for women was required by political parties to get election symbols, while a minimum 10 per cent voter turnout was also an election requirement under the Election Act, 2017.

       KPCSW secretary Robin Haider Bokhari told participants that the monitoring of women’s inclusion in elections was the core mandate of the commission.

       KPCSW member Dr Noreen Naseer said the commission relied on the support of the civil society to promote women’s role in elections.

       Meanwhile, the commission said in a statement that it would set up a monitoring cell to ensure women-inclusive elections.

       It said the cell would receive reports about the issues facing women voters.

       The KPCSW said the monitoring cell would be linked to the ECP’s Gender Desk and Control Room for quick action on complaints.

       Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2024

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