Pakistan elections: How women candidates are fighting for change in polls?

Data reveals that of the 17,000 candidates contesting the February 8 polls in Pakistan, only 839 are women

The Pakistan elections are only a day away, on February 8, and candidates of all genders, religions, and political parties are working hard to make their mark in the polls.

Among the thousands of candidates vying for a seat in this election, a few hundred stand out as women who have chosen to challenge traditional gender stereotypes. In fact, women's participation in the country is poor — data reveals that of the 17,000 candidates contesting the February 8 polls, only 839 are women, which is an abysmal 4.7 per cent.

We delve deeper into three women candidates and what they want from these polls.

First Hindu woman contesting Pakistan polls

This February 8 election is historic. That is because Dr Saveera Prakash, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate, is competing in Buner's PK-25 constituency. By doing so, she becomes the country's first Hindu woman running for election in Pakistan.

On being asked why she wanted to run for office, Prakash (25) said she hopes to combat gender and religious inequalities through her political activism. "I have always felt that girls experienced gaps in public life in Pakistan. Only 29 per cent of women in Buner are educated, whereas the country's [average] literacy rate for women is 46 per cent. Women feel constrained in Pashtun culture due to social norms, so I decided to contest [to dispel this impression]," she told The Dawn.

What is even more notable is that Dr Prakash chose to run for a general seat rather than a reserved one. When asked about it, she explained that she was doing it in order to increase the visibility of her community.

Also Read: From jail, Imran Khan asks supporters to wait by poll stations after vote

A widow to fight Pak polls

Samar Haroon Bilour is now a well-known political figure in Pakistan. However, her foray into the electoral world came under tragic circumstances. She became involved in her husband's campaign after he was shot dead by militants just before the last election.

She said that the Pakistan Taliban, the most active group in the region that once controlled several border areas, was responsible for the attack on her husband, Haroon. "I stepped into his shoes after his murder — it was one of the hardest things I had ever done, and I was mentally unprepared," she was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

She then went on to become the first female provincial MP in Peshawar, a metropolis of about five million people nestled along the old Silk Road near the Afghan border and home to the Pashtun people, many of whom adhere to conventions that limit women's movements in public.

In fact, she recounts how, when she went forward to continue her husband's campaign for the Awami Workers Party, she met opposition from her rivals. She persevered despite the taunts and emerged victorious.

And today, she believes that views are changing. "People want someone who gives time to the constituency regardless of what their gender is," Bilour said.

Islamic influencer contesting Pakistan election

Lahore's NA-122 constituency, which is seeing an interesting fight between Khawaja Saad Rafique of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Latif Khosa of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has a third candidate that has caught the attention of many. She's a YouTuber, who is a gynaecologist by profession.

A member of Jamaat-e-Islami, a right-wing party centred around religion, Zeba Waqar has over 17,500 followers on YouTube. She uploads daily lectures about the Holy Quran and Hadith, and answers queries about Islamic teachings.

Speaking to The Dawn, she said, "I felt it was necessary for me to have a space on social media so that I could reach a wider audience. Electronic media does not give us much coverage, so my husband and I decided to create the channel."

Waqar also runs a live-in institute where young women, including graduates from renowned universities, can learn the Quran.

When asked what she hopes to do after being elected, she stated that she wants to eliminate economic disadvantages for women, improve their professional training, and introduce stronger laws to reduce harassment.

How many women are contesting Pak polls this year?

According to reports, former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has allocated 53 seats to women, the highest number of tickets among the major political parties. Of the 53 candidates, 28 are running for National Assembly constituencies, while 25 are for provincial seats.

The main rival parties, however, have failed to provide even five per cent of tickets to women. The Pakistan Peoples Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has given tickets to 35 women, 11 on National Assembly seats and 24 on provincial seats, accounting for only 4.5 per cent of its total 779 candidates.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, has given tickets to only 28 women, 12 for National Assembly and 15 for provincial seats, which is just 4.2 per cent of the 668 candidates fielded by the party.