ELECTION Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ordered political parties to ensure “mandatory” five percent representation of women candidates on general seats under Section 206 of the Elections Act, 2017. The electoral watchdog set a five-day deadline for political parties to submit the list of male and female candidates for general seats after concluding the allotment of electoral symbols yesterday ahead of the sought-after February 8 elections.
The Commission surely deserves appreciation for seeking implementation reports from political parties on the issue of women participation and representation in legislatures as their effective involvement in law and decision-making processes is deeply linked to the overall progress and development of the country. As political parties have been participating in the electoral process since long and they must be aware of this mandatory requirement of five percent tickets to women but it would have been appropriate if the parties were sensitized on this crucial matter before the deadline for distribution of party tickets and not afterwards. It is, however, satisfactory that women have actively been participating in elections at all tiers down from the union councils to the NA/Senate and they had a respectable presence at all these forums. This is because apart from the legal requirement for the parties to award five percent tickets to female candidates, a substantial number of women also make their way to the provincial and national assemblies against reserved seats. Women can also try their luck against general seats and there have been numerous instances of women reaching out to the elected houses through open contests. It should be a matter of concern that women affiliated with the PTI, who had otherwise bright chances of becoming MPs against reserved seats, stand deprived of the opportunity because of legal complications.
