Women parliamentarians, civil society actors, and policy experts gathered at a high-level roundtable titled “Raising Her Voice in Politics”, jointly hosted by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC).
The roundtable was attended and addressed by parliamentarians from National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan PPP, PML-N, PTI, JUI, and MQM-P to spotlight Pakistan’s persistent gaps in women’s political representation and to push for immediate party and legislative reforms.
In her welcome remarks from Chairperson, Women Parliamentarians Caucus, MNA Shahida Rehmani said, “It’s a shared goal to not only include women in political parties but empower them to shape their own futures.”
She lauded the SDPI for organizing the forum.
Dr Rehmani further stated, “Despite 5pc quota requirement under the Elections Act 2017, compliance remains weak, these figures reflect not just underrepresentation but active gatekeeping within party structures.”
Dr Rehmani emphasized that women faced systemic challenges within political parties and called for urgent solutions to ensure gender parity.
She underscored the need for a binding 33% representation in all new political formations and highlighted gender policy equality as the critical path forward.
As per the SDPI research, Pakistan’s demographic reality further underscores the urgency of reform.
Women make up 49pc of the country’s population, with 59 million registered female voters as of 2024.
However, only 42pc of women cast their votes in the last general election a 5pc decline from 2018.
Despite this numerical strength, women’s influence in political decision-making remains minimal.
An SDPI analysis of the constitutions of 19 political parties represented in Parliament found that only five parties complied with the 5% women’s general seat nomination requirement.
Notably, the Balochistan National Party and Awami National Party included 9 and 10 women, respectively, in their Central Executive Committees — highlighting a few examples of positive practice, though far from the norm.
To better understand the legal framework, SDPI reviewed the Political Parties Order (PPO) 2002 and the Elections Act 2017.
While the 2013 amendment to PPO 2002 enabled the introduction of a 5% nomination quota for women on general seats, another provision — calling for 33% representation of women political workers in all elected and non-elected bodies of political parties — was sidelined during legislative discussions and remains unimplemented.
In light of these findings, Mr.Qasim Shah, Deputy Executive Director SDPI, stated ” A set of recommendations for urgent legislative and institutional reform.
First, Section 208 of the Elections Act 2017 should be amended to require political parties to ensure at least 33% representation of women as office bearers in both elected and non-elected bodies — proportionate to the female population.
Second, Section 202 of the same Act, which mandates a minimum of 2,000 members for party registration, should be revised to include a mandatory requirement of 33% female membership, ensuring gender-inclusive party formation from the outset.”
