Wasim Sajjad

Many women candidates contesting for second phase of local bodies elections in the province are facing erasure of identity as male family members are using their names and pictures on their election posters.

Elections for the second phase of LG polls in 18 districts of the province are scheduled for March 31.

On the other hand, the issue of erasing identity of those women contesting polls is also being debated on social media. The practice has brought the ire of women rights activists as well as the common people.

Yasmin Akhtar, a resident of the Balambat area of Dir Lower  is contesting the LG polls on women seat said that there was no restriction on her to use her name on the flaxes and campaigning.

She said that as per tradition women were not called by their names in society. “The woman is known in the society from a village to which she belongs and after marriage she is referred with her husband village’s a name,” she said.

Ms Akhtar said that this society was a male-dominated society in which calling a woman by her real name was considered a taboo.

However, this tradition is changing due to increase in literacy rate. She added that prior to the 2015; women were not even allowed to contest elections. However, she said that this tradition has now changed.

Elections Commission of Pakistan (ECP) statistics show that a total of 3200 women were taking part in the second phase of the LG polls in the 18 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On the other hand, 3800 female candidates contested the first phase which took place in 17 districts.

Post 2015, there are special seats reserved for women in the polls and before they had no representation.

Mobarak Zaib, a local elder said that there were no religious, government or societal restrictions which stop women to use their names on the flexes and during the campaign.

However, he added that there were local norms and traditions which don’t allow women to do so.

Mr Zaib said that the culture of hiding names of women was due to multiple illiteracy, absence of print and electronic media and most importantly the influence of religion on society.

He said that things were changing very rapidly. “Women were not allowed to go to the polling stations and cast their vote in 2013 and the restrictions were announced by some local elders, even by some political parties,” he said.

Mr Zaib said that the female casting their vote was a normal part of life and they easily go to polling stations. “Female venturing out of their homes was not a taboo anymore,” he said.

Mr Zaib said that it will take time and effort of the institutions to make such laws that secure women’s rights.

He added there was no turnout in the 2013 elections in some polling stations of Dir Lower whose results were not declared by the ECP.

Mr Zaib and Ms Akhtar, both, are hopeful that this issue will be addressed in the recent future as the issue of casting a vote by females has been addressed swiftly.

They requested the government and non-government organizations to take part in the development of the region so that women’s rights should be secured.