Reference filed against Qazi and others for barring women to cast vote

The Pakistan People's Party-Sherpao (PPP-S) on Monday filed a complaint with the election commission against Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) president Qazi Hussain Ahmed and its other leaders for allegedly barring women from casting vote.
Almost 50 women of Nowshera district, UC Kakakhel held a protest demonstration in front of the election commission against denial of their right to vote while Mian Jamiluddin, candidate of PPP-S naib nazim, who had faced defeat in the same UC, filed written complaint against Qazi Hussain Ahmed, his daughter and other leaders for interfering in the electoral process.
Women alleged they were not allowed to caste votes during phase-I of the local government elections and arrangements should be made so that they could exercise their right to vote.
The EC has time and again warned results of all those UCs where women would be barred from participating in the election would be declared null and void. However, despite the EC's warning reports appeared regularly that women in many areas were kept out of the process.
EC secretary Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad assured protestors that their complaint would be looked in properly and results of Ziarat, Kakakhel union councils would be declared invalid if allegations were proved correct.
At the same time, the secretary denounced protest and termed it unnecessary, saying only a simple complaint would have been sufficient in this regard. He said it was the timely action by the EC against such happenings that encouraged a large number of women of Battgram and other NWFP areas to participate in the election.
"Had the election commission not taken notice of such incidents, women of Battgram and Dir would have not been able to cast votes and file nomination papers," he added.
The complainant alleged that the MMA government in general and Qazi Hussain Ahmed in particular used his influence to get desired results for his nephew contesting for naib nazim against the applicant.
"At the Walai polling station, 180 people were not allowed to cast votes and as a result the polling was abandoned at 3:30pm," he added.
Besides, he said, hundreds of women, who had been in the polling stations were not allowed to cast their votes.
He said despite his requests to the DRO, DPO, ASP, SSP, and frontier constabulary for help against irregularities, none of them came forward against these violations.
In view of the above, he said, the chief election commissioner should take notice of these violation and illegalities among others committed by Mian Rahim Shah, Qazi Usaid Abbas under the patronage and support of Qazi Hussain Ahmad, his son, Qazi Luqman, and daughter, Rahila Qazi, and MNA and MPAs of the alliance.