Growing concern for safety of female candidates

With the fifth and final phase of local polls set for 9 August, there is growing concern for the safety of female candidates being threatened in the upper Dir area of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). “There will most definitely be trouble, as many women are not ready to withdraw nomination papers,” the regional coordinator for women’s representation in local government in the provincial capital, Peshawar, Aimal Khan, told IRIN on Monday. “The situation in upper Dir is tense,” he warned. Khan said that about 50 women had filed nomination papers in this conservative area, under the present military government’s devolution of power plan at the local level, allocating 33 percent of seats in the lowest government tier to women. However, since the polls started, females have been constantly threatened, harassed and in some cases attacked in parts of the NWFP. Various NGOs promoting women’s rights have written numerous letters to the election commission and government officials, but have yet to receive a reply. “The response we had from the officials in Peshawar was very discouraging,” Khan said. Religious and political groups in upper Dir reportedly formed a committee which signed agreements barring women from taking part and voting in the local polls. “Someone needs to take action against these groups. It is a violation of women’s rights,” he maintained. He said representatives from the committee were visiting women who had filed nomination papers, telling them to withdraw “or face the consequences”. Also active in resolving the situation in Dir is the Pakistani-based Aurat Foundation “How can you call this a fair election?” Spokeswoman Salma Jilani asked IRIN. “All polling in that area should be declared null an void.” Jilani maintained that the government was to blame for not taking a stance, and “ignoring” the problem. “Once they know they can get away with it, they won’t stop at this,” she cautioned. Despite the threats, women are still coming forward, and even filing papers through men. In lower Dir, eight females were elected unopposed out of 204 women living in the area, according to Khan. “These women are in no mood for withdrawing.” According to media reports, during the third phase of voting on 31 May there was also discrimination against women voters in the Dadu District of Pakistan’s southern Sindh Province, where clashes broke out and 24 people were arrested. Khan added that it was heartening to see that some women were being brave in refusing to step down, with one reportedly standing for the position of mayor in upper Dir. However, he warned that if the government failed to take control of the situation in Dir, it could all come to a head during the final stage of voting.