To check Oneindia News on your Mobile
go to:   http://m.oneindia.in/news/
  •  

Pak polls 2008: Women banned from voting

Pak Polls 2008
Islamabad, Feb 18: Women have been banned from voting in the general elections in some areas of Mianwali and Sargodha as per a 60-year-old tradition which bars them from exercising their franchise. The panchayat in Union Council 33 Paikhel, which falls in the provincial assembly constituency PP44 in Mianwali, decided not to allow women to cast their votes, upholding the decades-old rule.

There are 18,000 registered voters in the area and women constitute 7500 votes. An independent candidate from the provincial seat was also reportedly a member of the panchayat which ruled to defranchise women, Geo TV reported today. Meanwhile, elders at four Bhera villages in Sargodha have also taken similar decisions. These villages fall within the national assembly constituency NA-64 and provincial assembly constituency PP-28, where 4,479 women voters have been deprived of their right to vote.

Polling for the general elections began this morning amid unprecedented security across the country.

UNI

No US observers for Pakistan Feb 18 polls

Lahore, Feb,1: A US observer group that was planning to monitor the February 18 elections in Pakistan has opted out over election-day security concerns. According to the Washington Post,Thomas E Garrett, the International Republican Institute"s (IRI) election expert on Pakistan was quoted as saying: “We don"t believe the security environment is such that we could do the things we"d like to do." The IRI further warned that the potential for suicide bombings and general acts of violence made it impossible.....
User Comments
[ Post Comments ]
Be the first to comment on this article.
Oneindia  Oneindia Login