ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Secretary Omar Hamid Khan Thursday said that gender gap in the country has reduced significantly to 7.4 per cent.
He said this at a meeting with the Women Parliamentarian Caucus, led by Secretary Caucus Ms. Shahida Rahmani. Members of Parliament Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb, Rana Ansar and Shahida Begum were also present.
The ECP secretary said that as per the vision of the chief election commissioner, gender gap in the country has reduced significantly.
He explained that the pace of registration of women voters has exceeded that of male voters, which is the result of a joint effort of the ECP and the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).
The ECP, he pointed out, is giving centrality to women’s electoral participation in its upcoming strategic plan, as the number of women candidates increased to 923 during the General Election 2024.
Omar Hamid noted that the ECP has introduced GMSIF (Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion Framework) in this regard, and these efforts have been appreciated by the European Union, Commonwealth and Fafen.
Member of Parliament Shahida Rahmani, while appreciating the efforts of ECP, said that the main objective of the Women Parliamentary Caucus is to empower women and promote their political participation.
She stressed that the process of registration of women voters needs to be further accelerated. She added that the Women Caucus is ready to assist the commission in this regard, including legal reforms.
Director General Gender and Social Inclusion Nighat Siddique gave a detailed briefing on the special initiatives of the ECP. She highlighted the INVR-5, coordination with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, and mutual cooperation in the process of issuing new identity cards. She also mentioned the establishment of ‘One Window Operations’ for issuing disability certificates across the country.
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that the ECP and the Women’s Caucus will work together to effectively advance the women voter registration campaign at the constituency level. The Caucus will assist the ECP in identifying unregistered women and ensuring their active participation.
