Pakistan News: Who Are The Pioneering Women, Taking An Unconventional Path In Pakistan's Election 2024?

With just a day remaining until the Pakistan elections scheduled for 8 February, candidates from various backgrounds, regardless of gender, religion, or party affiliation, are vigorously campaigning to leave their mark on the polls.

Among the thousands of candidates competing for a seat in this election, a few hundred are notable for being women who have chosen to defy conventional roles.

Women's participation in the country's electoral process is dismal, with data indicating that out of the 17,000 candidates contesting the 8 February polls, only 839 are women, constituting a mere 4.7 per cent. A closer look is taken at three women candidates and their objectives for these elections.

The first Hindu woman

The 8 February election is marked by historical significance as Dr Saveera Prakash, associated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), is being contested from Buner's PK-25 constituency. By this action, she becomes the first Hindu woman in the country to run for election.

Prakash (25), who recently graduated as a doctor, stated that she independently chose her religion, a decision supported by her Sikh father and Christian mother in the Muslim-majority nation. According to her, "No religion in the world teaches a person to do bad deeds; every religion guides a person to do good deeds," as reported by AFP.

When queried about her objectives with her political venture, the doctor aims to address gender and religious biases. She expressed, "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]," according to The Dawn.

What is even more remarkable is that Dr Prakash opted to contest from a general seat rather than a reserved seat. When questioned about this decision, she stated that she was doing it to enhance the visibility of her community.

A widow

Samar Haroon Bilour is quite a known name in Pakistan politics. However, her entry into the electoral arena occurred under tragic circumstances. She was thrust into her husband's campaign after he was shot dead by militants shortly before the last election.

The attack on her husband, Haroon, was claimed by the Pakistan Taliban, she said, the most active group in the region that once controlled some border areas. "I stepped into his shoes after his murder - it was one of the hardest things I had ever done, I was mentally not prepared," she tells AFP.

She then went on to become the first woman provincial MP in the provincial capital Peshawar, a city of nearly five million people nestled along the old Silk Road near the Afghan border and home to the Pashtun people - many of whom follow customs that restrict women's movements in public.

In fact, she recounts how when she stepped forward to continue her husband's campaign for the Awami Workers Party, she faced backlash from her rivals. However, she persevered despite the taunts and came out on top.

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

YouTube Influencer

In Lahore's NA-122 constituency, an intriguing contest unfolds between Khawaja Saad Rafique of PML-N and Latif Khosa of PTI, with a third candidate garnering attention - YouTuber Zeba Waqar, a gynaecologist by profession and member of Jamaat-e-Islami.

With a YouTube following of over 17,500, Waqar shares daily lectures on the Holy Quran and Hadith, alongside addressing queries on Islamic teachings, aiming to reach a broader audience beyond traditional media channels.

In an interview with The Dawn, she expressed the necessity of utilizing social media to amplify her reach due to limited coverage in electronic media, highlighting her channel's creation as a joint decision with her husband.

Beyond her online presence, Waqar also oversees a live-in institute catering to young women, including graduates from prestigious universities, for Quranic studies.

Regarding her political aspirations, Waqar aims to tackle economic disparities faced by women, enhance their professional training, and advocate for stronger anti-harassment laws if elected to office.

Did Women candidates take over Pakistan's poll season?

As per the reports, 53 seats have been allocated to women by former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, the highest number among the major political parties. Of these 53 seats, 28 are being contested for the National Assembly constituencies, while 25 are for provincial seats.

However, the main rival parties have fallen short of even allocating five per cent of their tickets to women. For instance, the Pakistan Peoples Party, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has given tickets to 35 women, 11 for National Assembly seats and 24 for provincial seats, which accounts for just 4.5 per cent of its total 779 candidates, according to the BBC.

Meanwhile, only 28 women have been issued tickets by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, with 12 for National Assembly seats and 15 for provincial seats, constituting just 4.2 per cent of the 668 candidates fielded by the party.