National Assembly panel condemns bar on women in LG polls

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Women Development on Friday condemned the act of barring women to exercise their right of vote in the local bodies elections and demanded of the Election Commission to declare the elections in such areas null and void. The standing committee met under the chairpersonship of Mehnaz Rafi in the Parliament House.
A record number of over 200,000 candidates, including over 55,000 women, are contesting the second such elections since General Pervez Musharraf took over.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner had already made it clear to take punitive action against those groups, especially in NWFP districts that barred women from participating in the local government elections.
He had said that elections in those areas where problems were being created for women would be suspended.
The committee members took strong exception of the reports that women were barred from casting their votes at a few places.
The lawmakers termed it a sheer violation of basic human rights protected by Islam and guaranteed by the Constitution. The committee unanimously asked the CEC to cancel the elections in areas where women were being discouraged to contest polls.
Human rights activists are also demanding the cancellation of election results in such districts.
Besides the LB polls, the committee also discussed in detail the performance of crisis centres established by the Women Development Ministry.
The lawmakers asked the ministry to focus on establishment of crisis centres, especially in the rural areas.
It was informed that 10 crisis centres had been established, one each at provincial capitals and in areas where cases of violence against women had been reported.
The committee said that majority of women, subjected to violence, are reluctant to approach the law-enforcement agencies due to lack of awareness and uncooperative attitude of the law-enforcers.
Therefore, it was decided to invite provincial secretaries for women development and inspector generals of police to discuss the issue pertaining to violence against women in its next meeting.
MNAs Professor Asiya Azeem, Khalid Iqbal Memon, Jamila Ahmad, Khalida Mohsin Qureshi, Shamshad Sattar Bachani and Maimoona Hashmi attended the meeting.