PODA amplifying Women’s Call for Active Participation and Contestation in General Elections 2024!
(12 January 2024): Representatives from PODA, Sameena Nazir (Executive Director), Naheeda Abbasi (Program Manager), and Bismillah Irum (Rural Woman Leader), participated today in a live radio program on FM 93 Rawalpindi. The discussion focused on advocating for women’s active participation in the upcoming elections and promoting peaceful electoral processes.
The conversation was held in the context of the 2024 elections, emphasizing the importance of providing opportunities for women to engage effectively in the electoral processes. Sameena Nazir, PODA’s Founder from 24 years, was acknowledged for her outstanding contributions to development work in Pakistan. She expressed hope for the scheduled February 8 elections, emphasizing the significance of peaceful elections for the consistent democratic progress in the country.
She shared that since its inception PODA’s mission revolves around ensuring that all individuals, particularly in rural areas, enjoy their civic, legal, and religious rights. She further shed light on how PODA initiated awareness campaigns to encourage CNIC registration among women, addressing the lack of legal identities hindering them from claiming their rights and benefits as citizens. PODA also conducted voter registration awareness, focusing on correct voting procedures through training sessions and mock polling exercises in collaboration with the Election Commission of Pakistan and NDI.
Naheeda Abbasi, Program Manager, highlighted the low representation of women voters (45.98%) in the total registered voters of Pakistan (12,79,80272). Emphasizing the importance of women in politics, she stressed the need for women’s active involvement to address their specific issues in rural areas.
Bismillah Irum addressed topics such as sending CNIC numbers to 8300 for vote confirmation, protection issues for women political workers, reporting violence to the election commission, the role of returning officers, women’s quota in general elections, and financial constraints for women in politics. She encouraged women to overcome societal norms and cultural barriers, emphasizing the importance of active participation in politics.
During the program, callers inquired about various aspects, including CNIC age groups, women’s participation in elections in tribal areas, protection for women election workers, party tickets for women candidates, strategies to motivate reluctant voters, and challenges faced by unregistered women voters.
The program, presented by PODA and sponsored by NDI, concluded with a call for women to exercise their voting rights responsibly on February 8, encouraging them to overcome societal pressures and contribute to the democratic process.
