Why some Pakistan women are barred from voting by their husbands

Pakistan has a record 128.5 million people, constituting over half of its total population, registered as voters for the upcoming elections on 8 February, as per the latest data. Reportedly, Pakistani women are barred from voting in certain regions of the country, even though the country has the fifth-highest number of registered voters globally—behind only India, Indonesia, the United States, and Brazil. The 60-year-old former headmistress and her seven daughters, six of whom have already attended college, are prohibited from voting by their male elders, just like all the other women in her town. “Whether by her husband, father, son or brother, a woman is forced. She lacks the autonomy to make decisions independently,” said Kausir, covered in a veil in the courtyard of her home. “These men lack the courage to grant women their rights,” the widow told AFP. All adults in Pakistan are entitled to vote under the constitution, but some rural sections of the socially conservative nation are still governed by a patriarchal system of male village elders who have great influence within their communities. Barring women from voting Men in the Punjabi village of Dhurnal, which is home to thousands of people and is surrounded by crop fields, give multiple reasons for the more than 50-year prohibition. “Several years ago, during a period of low literacy rates, a council chairman decreed that if men went out to vote, and women followed suit, who would manage the household and childcare responsibilities?” said Malik Muhammad, a member of the village council. “This disruption, just for one vote, was deemed unnecessary,” he concluded. Shopkeeper Muhammad Aslam asserts that it is done to protect women from “local hostilities” involving politics, such as a past incident that not many in the village appear to recall in which a fight broke out at a polling place. Some told AFP that it was just a matter of “tradition.” First Muslim woman leader The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has emphasised that, in any constituency where women are prohibited from participating, it is within its power to deem the process invalid. In reality, millions of women remain absent from the electoral rolls, and progress has been sluggish outside of cities and in regions where tribal customs are in place. The elders of Dhurnal depend on nearby villages to meet a quota mandated by the government, which states that women must cast 10% of the votes in each seat. Voters who are permitted to do so frequently face pressure to select a candidate preferred by a male relative. Last month, religious authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s mountainous district of Kohistan, home to over 800,000 people, decreed it to be un-Islamic for women to participate in political campaigns. [caption id=“attachment_13692782” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) waves the party flag during a rally ahead of the general elections in Karachi, Pakistan. Reuters[/caption] Women are permitted to vote under Islam, according to legal expert and women’s rights activist Fatima Tu Zara Butt, but in Pakistan, the faith is frequently misinterpreted or misused. “Regardless of their level of education or financial stability, women in Pakistan can only make decisions with the ‘support’ of the men around them,” she said. After military dictator Zia ul-Haq brought in a new era of Islamisation that undermined women’s rights, Pakistan is renowned for electing Benazir Bhutto, the first Muslim woman leader in history, in 1988. Bhutto fought against religious extremism and implemented policies that increased women’s access to money and education. The election commission has stated that, more than 30 years later, only 355 women—as opposed to 6,094 men—are running for seats in the national parliament on Thursday. Pakistan, a country with a majority of Muslims, reserves 60 of its 342 National Assembly seats for women and 10 for religious minorities. However, political parties hardly ever permit women to run for office beyond these limits. If they do take a stand, those who do so frequently do so only with the support of their male relatives who are well-known figures in the local politics. “I have never seen any independent candidates contesting elections on their own,” Zara Butt added. ‘Everyone’s right’ A rising number of women in Dhurnal want to exercise their right to vote, but they are afraid of repercussions from the community if they do. This is especially true because divorce is a huge source of shame in Pakistani culture, according to 40-year-old healthcare worker Robina Kausir. She attributes some of the change to the increased use of social media and smartphones, which have made information more accessible. “These men instil fear in their women – many threaten their wives,” she told AFP. With her husband’s support, Robina is one of the few willing to take the chance. In the wake of cricket legend Imran Khan’s electoral victory in 2018, Robina organised a minibus to transport women to the nearby polling place. Though few people joined her, she nonetheless considered it a success and will repeat the action on Thursday when the election takes place. “I was abused but I do not care, I will keep fighting for everyone’s right to vote,” Robina said. With inputs from AFP