62 year old Kausar Parveen awoke at 5 am, completed her domestic chores and left her house at 7 am to vote for her favorite political party in Chakwal on Saturday.
“I cannot walk properly and my knees were aching but I walked for 15 minutes to the polling station to vote for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) whom I have supported since 1988,” said Kausar.
When asked why she supported the PPP, she said that the PPP deserved her vote as it was the only party that sacrificed many leaders for the nation including former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her father former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Like Kausar, millions of women voted at their respective polling stations in the four provinces, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
27 year old Taliha said at a political rally that she would vote for Imran Khan of Pakistan Tekrik e Insaf (PTI) because of his ideology of change.
“Our country is rich in natural resources, our people are hardworking and talented but we lack good governance. Imran Khan would bring positive change in the country if he came into power,” said Taliha.
Many women have also contested the 2013 elections from various political parties. This year many young women have entered politics due to the rise of the PTI.
On the whole, 161 women contested for 60 reserve positions out of 342 seats in the National Assembly, while in the Punjab provincial assembly there are 355 women contenders, compared to 116 in the 2008 elections.
Like the PTI, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) also awarded many party tickets to women including PML-N Chairman Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Marium Nawaz.
54 year old Shehnaz is an active PML-N member. She said that she would vote for Nawaz Sharif as he is the only man who can bring prosperity to Pakistan.
“PML-N has always worked for the poor. They launched many mega projects when they were in power and they would do more if elected again,” said Shehnaz.
According to the ECP, the gap between male and female voters is over 10 million. Most female unregistered voters are from villages and are dependent upon male family members to accompany them to the polling station.
According to the National Data Base Registration Authority (NADRA)’s records, over 6 million women in the country have no National Identity Cards (NICs) due to which they cannot register their votes.
According to the ECP’s report, not even a single female vote was cast in 564 polling stations in 2008 because they were barred from doing so by local Muslim clerics in northwestern Pakistan.
Local media reported on Saturday that women in Lower Dir and South Waziristan were barred from voting this year as well for the same reasons.
Despite all odds, women still have an undeniable presence in Pakistani politics. Former Chairman PPP Benazir Bhutto was famous all over across the world due to her charismatic personality and political acumen. An Oxford graduate, Benazir took charge of PPP the following her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s. She was Pakistan’s first and only female prime minister.
Other prominent female politicians include Fehmida Mirza, a doctor by profession and a PPP stalwart, who became the first female speaker of the National Assembly in 2008. Hina Rabbani Khar, also a PPP leader is also famous. She became the youngest and first female Foreign Minister in 2011.
