By: Muhammad Sadaqat

PATTAN/KOHISTAN: After depriving women voters of their constitutional right to cast their ballots, only male tribal voters participated in the by-polls held in the Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) assembly’s seat KP-61 Kohistan I here on Thursday.

Officials of the Election Commission, however, categorically denied reports of barring women from election booths. By-election polls were held on the seat that fell vacant after the death of Maulvi Obaidullah, who had passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest last month.

According to informed sources a jirga headed by Haji Kareem Khan, an elder of Kashw Khel tribe of Pattan, was held at his residence on the night of November 22nd.

The participants, including PPP’s MNA Mehboob Ullah Jan endorsed the decision of not allowing the women voters to turn up to the polling booths terming their participation as against tribal tradition.
Source: The Express Tribune
Date:11/25/2011