Low turnout of women voters will see cancellation of all votes: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday stated that a low turnout of women voters at any polling booth will result in the cancellation of all votes cast in that booth.

Representational Image. (ANI)

Islamabad: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday stated that a low turnout of women voters at any polling booth will result in the cancellation of all votes cast in that booth. The ECP has kept a threshold of 10 per cent of overall votes to be cast by women voters at every booth, as reported by The Dawn. This follows reports that women have been deterred from casting their votes in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. While women are not being allowed to vote in Nowshehra PK 65, no women have turned up for voting in Shangla and Kohistan, because of the lack of a segregated polling booth. According to The Dawn, all political parties, particularly the religious ones have said in their political campaign that women should be allowed to cast their votes. Also, local jirgas have barred women from voting in certain areas. Voting in polling station 225 in NA-136, Lahore had to be deferred after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf alleged that women voters were being harassed. A low turnout of women voter was also reported in Peshawar. However, a high turnout of women voters was recorded in Lower Dir's Government Higher Secondary School Rabat, The Dawn quoted BBC Urdu. Also, a mother-daughter duo in Karachi took a bike ride to the polling booth after they were unable to avail public, transport. They said that the absence of public transport was not going to hold them back from casting their votes. Earlier in the day, late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's daughters Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari cast their votes in Sindh's Nawabshah. Bakhtawar took to her Twitter handle to share a picture with her younger sister, where the two showed their inked thumbs. Nearly 106 million registered voters will cast their vote to choose the new government in Pakistan. As many as 12,570 candidates are contesting for 272 national and 577 provincial assembly seats.