Women's Empowerment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: A New Era for Politics?

Strategic Insights -

In an effort to improve their prospects in the next general elections, secular and religious political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have launched focused campaigns to win the support of women voters. This move is seen as a measure to facilitate women empowerment in a province known for its tribal conservativeness and traditional society. The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) has also joined the fray, establishing a separate wing for women members and holding polls to elect office-bearers. Other major parties, including the Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), have already set up women wings and enrolled thousands of women as members.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) has established a separate wing for women members, with about 100,000 females enrolled as basic members.
  • The party has introduced a training program for female workers to create political awareness among them.
  • ANP, with a secular posture, has changed its previous policy and established a full-fledged wing for women.
  • The party plans to field women candidates on general seats in the next elections.
  • The central president of ANP's women wing, Zahira Khattak, observes that the level of awareness among women in the province has increased, and they are raising their voice for their rights.
  • JUI provincial spokesman Abdul Jalil Jan states that there are no restrictions on women's participation in politics and that the party is now recognizing the role of women in politics.
  • Maulana Sameeul Haq's faction of JUI has softened its stand regarding women's involvement in politics, provided they work within the ambit of Sharia.

Statistics:

  • 100,000 females enrolled as JUI's basic members.
  • 30% quota reserved for women in the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies through the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO).
  • Thousands of women enrolled as members in other major parties, including PPP, PML, JI, and PTI.

Sources:

  • The News International (no date or author mentioned)
  • The News International (no date or author mentioned)
  • Geo News (no date or author mentioned)
  • Dawn (no date or author mentioned)
  • The Express Tribune (no date or author mentioned)