The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to address concerns regarding the non-allocation of a 5 percent quota for women by political parties in the upcoming general elections slated for February 8, 2024.
The summons follows a petition filed by Naeem Ahmed Mirza, the executive director of the Women Foundation, urging the court to direct the ECP to address his pending application on the matter. Despite his efforts, the ECP had not taken any action on his application.
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The IHC issued a notice to the ECP, instructing it to appear tomorrow, with special arrangements made to ensure timely notification and communication.
The petition highlights a letter from the Women Foundation to the ECP, addressing the failure of major political parties to adhere to the 5 percent quota for female candidates and calling for legal action against them.
An analysis revealed that several parties in the National Assembly, including PPP, JI, ANP, TLP, JUI-F, and BNP, did not meet the requirement of allocating 5 percent of their tickets to women for general seats. Conversely, MQM-P and PML-N complied with the quota.
Similar discrepancies were noted in the Punjab Assembly, Sindh Assembly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and Balochistan Assembly, where various parties failed to meet the 5 percent quota for female candidates. This underscores the ongoing challenge of achieving gender parity and representation in Pakistan’s political arena.
