Political parties, civil society organisations and the media have agreed to form a provincial committee for coordinated efforts to enhance the registration of women voters in Punjab ahead of the 2018 general election.
The consensus was developed at a consultation organised by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) in collaboration with its member organisation PATTAN. The committee will take up the issue of registration of women for their Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and their subsequent registration as voters with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
“As many as 6.5 million women are not registered as voters in Punjab. These women may also be unregistered with NADRA, which is a legal prerequisite for voter registration,” FAFEN’s Manager Communications and Advocacy Syed Abdul Ahad said.
The consultation was attended by representatives of all major political parties, civil society organizations, and the media. NADRA, however, did not send any representatives to the meeting.
The consultation also resolved that the government must ease the procedural formalities for the registration of CNIC and authorise local government chairmen and councillors for the attestation of citizens’ registration application forms.
It also urged NADRA to expand its existing infrastructure to include more facilitation centres as well as mobile registration vans.
TDEA-FAFEN CEO Shahid Fiaz termed the gap between male and female voters as one of the major democratic issues. He called upon stakeholders to coordinate their efforts and form a committee to take up registration issues with the concerned authorities.
Ruling party MNA Shaista Pervez Malik told the consultation that getting CNICs for citizens is a cumbersome process and requires improvements. She said bureaucratic hurdles and lethargy on part of NADRA and other state institutions were the major causes for low women voter registration that need to be urgently addressed. She was of the view that the ECP should pressurise NADRA to register as many citizens as possible before the upcoming general elections.
PTI MPA Saadia Sohail complained of the attitude of NADRA staff towards people who have to wait in long queues for hours in hostile conditions. She said that the CNIC is also a prerequisite for opening a bank account and registration of marriage, asking the government to improve the administration of NADRA for improving citizen registration.
Hussain Naqi, who represented the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said that the existing NADRA infrastructure is inadequate to register 6.5 million women in Punjab. He proposed that the ECP should issue Voter Cards to citizens as is done in India.
ECP Deputy Director Rai Sultan Bhatti acknowledged the gender gap in Mandi Bahauddin, Sheikhupura, and Narowal, while informing the consultation that Sahiwal has the lowest gender gap. He said that the ECP has made a Gender Affairs Wing to lessen this deficit. He also emphasised the need for coordinated efforts of civil society, political parties, NADRA and media to minimise this gap.
“Election stakeholders only become active as elections approach, although registration is open throughout the year,” he said.
