国际英语新闻:Feature: Women participate actively in Pakistan's general election

ISLAMABAD, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Kausar Parveen, 62, got up at 5 in the morning, finished her domestic chores and left home at 7 to cast vote for her favorite political party in Pakistan's northern district of Chakwal on Saturday which was the general election day in the country.

"I can't walk properly, my knees are also aching but I walked 15 minutes from my home to the polling station to vote for Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) whom I have been voting since 1988," said Kausar.

When asked what drove her to vote for PPP, Kausar said that PPP deserves her vote as it is the only party that sacrificed most number of leaders including former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her Father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in politics.

Like Kausar, millions of women cast their votes at their respective polling stations in all the four provinces of the country, The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said.

On the whole, 161 women contest for 60 reserve positions in total 342 seats in the lower house of the parliament known as National Assembly whereas in provincial assembly the number of women contenders is 355, higher than 116 from the last general elections held in 2008.

Most of the female contenders in 2008 elections came from political families but this year many new and young women are taking part in politics mainly due to the emerging party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI). As a former cricketer and philanthrope, PTI' s chairman Imran Khan, who joined politics in 1996, brought revolution in the country's politics by awarding party tickets to many young men and women in this election.

Twenty-seven-year-old Taliha, who was chanting slogans in favor at a PTI rally in capital Islamabad, said that she would vote for Imran Khan because of his ideology and slogans for change.

"Our country is rich with natural resources, people are hardworking and talented but we lack good governance. Imran Khan would bring a positive change in the country if he came to power because he is honest and hardworking," said Taliha.

Like PTI, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) also awarded many party tickets to women including PML-N chairman Nawaz Sharif' s daughter Marium Nawaz. PML-N also enjoys a huge support of Pakistani women since its advent in 1988.

Shehnaz, a 54-year-old woman from eastern Lahore city who is also an active member of PML-N, said that she would vote for Nawaz Sharif as he is the only man who can bring prosperity in Pakistan.

"PML-N always worked for the uplift of poor. They have launched many mega projects in the country when they were in power and they would do more efforts if they came to power again," said Shehnaz.

According to the country's Election Commission, the gap between male and female voters in Pakistan is over 10 million and most of the unregistered voters are residents of rural areas who depend on their male family members to take them out for registering and casting votes.

According to the record of National Data Base Registration Authority (NADRA), over 6 million women in the country does not even have their National Identity Card due to which they cannot be included in the circle of voters.

According to the report of Election Commission, not a single vote was cast in 564 polling stations in 2008 mainly because of the ban imposed on women voters by hardliner Muslim clerics in northwest part of the country.

Local media reported on Saturday that women in the country's northwestern areas of Lower Dir and South Waziristan have been barred from casting votes as they believe it is against the local customs to give voting rights to women.

Despite all odds, women are still having quite influential position in Pakistani politics. Former chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto was famous not only in Pakistan but across the world due to her charismatic personality and political wit. An Oxford graduate, Benazir Bhutto took charge of PPP following the execution of her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and ruled the country for more than five years.

Fehmida Mirza, a doctor by profession and a leading politician of PPP, became the first female speaker of the country's National assembly in 2008. Hina Rabbani Khar, also a PPP leader, became the youngest and first female Foreign Minister of Pakistan in 2011.

Apart from them, there are many prominent female leaders in Pakistan's provincial and national assemblies who are playing vital role in the country's politics.