Pakistan's Election Commission Summons Political Leaders over Women's Representation

Pakistan's Election Commission has summoned leaders of several political parties for not allocating at least five per cent of party tickets to women candidates in the February 8 general elections. Parties must field a minimum of five per cent female candidates for the National Assembly and provincial assemblies seats, as per the Election Act.

Pakistan's Election Commission has demanded that leaders of various political parties appear before it on September 4 to address their non-compliance in allocating at least five per cent of party tickets to women candidates in the February 8 general elections, according to media reports.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued formal notices to the heads of Jamat-e-Islami (JI), Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan National Party (BNP), Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and ten other political parties. These parties failed to meet the legal requirement to field a minimum of five per cent women candidates for general seats in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies as outlined by Section 206 of the Election Act, reported The Express Tribune.

The February 8 elections were marked by allegations of widespread rigging, particularly against the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, whose majority-backed independent candidates won 93 out of the 265 contested National Assembly seats. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secured 75 seats, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won 54 seats. On March 4, Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, leading a coalition government with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's PPP and smaller parties.

(With inputs from agencies.)