By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan celebrated National Working Women’s Day by emphasising the importance of addressing the gender gap in electoral rolls, increasing female representation, and fostering a workplace culture of inclusivity and zero discrimination.
Commemorating National Working Women’s Day, ECP in a statement reaffirmed its commitment to empowering women in electoral processes and celebrated the vital contributions of Pakistani women in strengthening democracy and promoting political stability.
Women, constituting nearly half of the country’s population, are pivotal in achieving lasting peace and prosperity through equal participation in electoral processes. The ECP stated its unwavering commitment to fulfilling its constitutional duty to conduct elections with honesty, fairness, and justice. It also highlighted the significant progress made in recent years to address the challenges women face as voters and candidates.
The ECP highlighted a significant achievement, stating that the gender gap in electoral rolls has decreased from over 11.7% in 2018 to 7.49% within just five years. The Commission also noted that more women than men were added to the electoral rolls during this period, reflecting increased awareness and participation.
The ECP aims to eliminate this gap in the upcoming elections. To improve women’s representation as candidates, the Commission emphasized the need for a critical legal reform requiring political parties to allocate 5% of their tickets to women.
However, the ECP acknowledged the necessity for further reforms and stricter accountability measures to ensure compliance and increase women’s ticket allocation.
The ECP stated that it is committed to promoting inclusivity within its workforce, with a continued focus on increasing the representation of women as staff and election officers, while ensuring a workplace free from discrimination and harassment.
The ECP takes pride in being one of the first institutions in Pakistan and the Asia region to adopt the country’s inaugural “Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion Framework.” The Commission emphasized that this groundbreaking framework offers a strategic vision to empower women, girls, minorities, transgender persons, and persons with disabilities.
Complementing this initiative, the ECP noted that it has introduced Gender-Responsive Budget Planning to ensure fair resource allocation.
On National Working Women’s Day, the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan called on all women, especially young girls, to actively participate in elections as voters and candidates, stressing that their engagement is essential for building a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous Pakistan.
