September 23, 2021: The political participation needs to be inclusive and representative of all segments of society for successful democratic processes. Voting is the basic element of democracy and is the fundamental right of every citizen. By using this right, the citizens can express their political will and play their role in democracy. The Constitution of Pakistan also gives this right to its citizens irrespective of sex, caste, creed, race, or any other basis. However, women and members of other socially excluded groups – persons with disability (PWD), women, and transgender people – are often unable to participate in democracy due to several social and institutional reasons. One of the major reasons for not participating in democratic processes is lack of awareness on voter education and electoral processes. The best possible way to overcome such obstacles is advocacy for reforms in the electoral system.
By adopting the strategy of advocacy, various meetings were held by the members of Coalition for Inclusive Pakistan (CIP), from Hyderabad and Matiari regions, with District Election Commissioners (DECs) of their respective districts to discuss about the initiatives to include PWDs, transgender people and women in the electoral processes. For this purpose, CIP members from Hyderabad region met Mr. Ahmed Nadeem, DEC from Tando Muhammed Khan and DEC Mr. Waseem Akhter DEC, Hyderabad, while CIP members from Matiari met Mr. Shahnawaz Brohi DEC, Matiari. In these meetings, CIP representatives requested their respective DECs to initiate awareness programs for transgender people, women and PWDs on electoral processes such as voter registration, and nomination procedures for candidates in the general and local government elections. With that, the CIP members also demanded for the inclusion of PWDs, transgender people and women in District Voter Education Committees (DVEC).
DECs agreed with the request of CIP members and assured the inclusion of transgender people, women and PWDs in DVEC. The DECs also appreciated the efforts of CIP and extended their full support in initiating the awareness programs on voter registration and electoral processes.
