[Dawn] The recent discovery that political parties had barred women in Lower Dir from voting has turned out to not be an isolated incident. Another agreement has now surfaced, showing that political parties in Upper Dir also mutually agreed to effectively disenfranchise female voters in the region. The document, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, carries signatures by representatives of the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is
Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami
...
The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka
The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an
independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
(JI), Pakistain Moslem League -- Nawaz (PML-N), Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakistain People's Party (PPP).
The document authorises Malik Jehanzib Kalorang and Malik Faiz Muhamamd Khan of Dogram to take a decision about women voting on Upper Dir's PK-93 provincial assembly seat. The decision would be binding on all the candidates contesting in the constituency and those 'in violation' would be fined Rs 10 million.
JI candidate Behram Khan won the PK-93 seat in the May 11 poll by gaining 12,894 votes, while Sahibzada Sanaullah of the PPP returned as the runner-up with 9,500 votes.
Earlier, a similar agreement had surfaced from Lower Dir's PK-95 seat where JI candidate Sirajul Haq returned as the winner. Haq is slated to get a ministerial portfolio in a likely deal with the PTI, the leading party in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
province.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pound, the little lost dog backed into the corner and showed its teeth. And what big teeth they were!...
the civil society organizations in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa have written to the Chief Election Commissioner to take action against the political parties who had barred women from voting in Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Buner and other parts of the province during the polls.
The organization have asked the ECP to declare the elections null and void and conduct re-polling in the affected constituencies with the guarantee that right to vote is ensured for all women.