Orientation Workshop for Senior Management of Election Commission and National Database and Registration Authority on Phase-IV of the Campaign, which started in July 2021.
*Press Release
Election Commission of Pakistan
Islamabad, 9th October 2021*
The Election Commission is fully committed to improving electoral participation of vulnerable communities including women, persons with disabilities, transgender persons and non-Muslim minorities through extraordinary measures to register as well as educate them as required by the Elections Act, 2017,” said Honorable Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja at the Orientation Workshop for Senior Management of Election Commission and National Database and Registration Authority on Phase-IV of the Campaign, which started in July 2021.
He further said that the Election Commission will bolster its nationwide efforts to maximize registration of women voters as part of its ongoing Women’s NIC and Voter Registration Campaign that is aimed at bringing down the gender gap on electoral rolls before the General Elections 2023.
The Campaign, which was launched in October 2017, has been able to register 10.2 million women during its earlier three phases, bringing down the burgeoning gender gap to 12.37 million in April 2021. The campaign works closely with National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and civil society organizations and is currently being implemented in 84 districts.
The Honorable Chief Election Commissioner told the participants that women are playing a critical role in all aspects of social and economic life in Pakistan. The Election Commission will make all efforts to also enable them to participate in electoral processes in the spirit of Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality for all citizens. The CEC acknowledged the assistance provided by NADRA in the making the women NIC campaign a success.
The Orientation Workshop was also attended by Election Commission Members from Sindh and Balochistan, NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik, ECP Secretary Omer Hamid Khan, Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal, Additional Secretary Manzoor Ahmed Malik, Provincial Election Commissioners, Directors General of NADRA’s eight regions around the country and senior officials from both organizations. Representatives of the civil society organizations and development partners also attended the workshop.
The Workshop was briefed on a series of measures that the Election Commission has so far taken to create an enabling environment for vulnerable communities to participate in the electoral processes and discussed mitigation plans to address multi-layered challenges that inhibit progress particularly in difficult and diverse terrains of the country.
Addressing the workshop, the NADRA Chairman expressed his gratitude to the Honorable Chief Election Commissioner for bringing together all relevant officials of Election Commission and NADRA which will ensure better planning, effective coordination and greater institutional ownership of this critically important issue of under-registration of women voters. He said that the NADRA will undertake necessary measures to smoothen the process of NIC registration for vulnerable communities, particularly women, which is a legal prerequisite for their registration as voters. He also instructed the NADRA senior staff to provide the required assistance to Election Commission and other civil society organizations implementing the Campaign, which includes provision of Mobile registration Vans whenever requisitioned by the election Commission under the campaign.
Election Commission of Pakistan
Islamabad, 9th October 2021*
The Election Commission is fully committed to improving electoral participation of vulnerable communities including women, persons with disabilities, transgender persons and non-Muslim minorities through extraordinary measures to register as well as educate them as required by the Elections Act, 2017,” said Honorable Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja at the Orientation Workshop for Senior Management of Election Commission and National Database and Registration Authority on Phase-IV of the Campaign, which started in July 2021.
He further said that the Election Commission will bolster its nationwide efforts to maximize registration of women voters as part of its ongoing Women’s NIC and Voter Registration Campaign that is aimed at bringing down the gender gap on electoral rolls before the General Elections 2023.
The Campaign, which was launched in October 2017, has been able to register 10.2 million women during its earlier three phases, bringing down the burgeoning gender gap to 12.37 million in April 2021. The campaign works closely with National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and civil society organizations and is currently being implemented in 84 districts.
The Honorable Chief Election Commissioner told the participants that women are playing a critical role in all aspects of social and economic life in Pakistan. The Election Commission will make all efforts to also enable them to participate in electoral processes in the spirit of Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality for all citizens. The CEC acknowledged the assistance provided by NADRA in the making the women NIC campaign a success.
The Orientation Workshop was also attended by Election Commission Members from Sindh and Balochistan, NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik, ECP Secretary Omer Hamid Khan, Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal, Additional Secretary Manzoor Ahmed Malik, Provincial Election Commissioners, Directors General of NADRA’s eight regions around the country and senior officials from both organizations. Representatives of the civil society organizations and development partners also attended the workshop.
The Workshop was briefed on a series of measures that the Election Commission has so far taken to create an enabling environment for vulnerable communities to participate in the electoral processes and discussed mitigation plans to address multi-layered challenges that inhibit progress particularly in difficult and diverse terrains of the country.
Addressing the workshop, the NADRA Chairman expressed his gratitude to the Honorable Chief Election Commissioner for bringing together all relevant officials of Election Commission and NADRA which will ensure better planning, effective coordination and greater institutional ownership of this critically important issue of under-registration of women voters. He said that the NADRA will undertake necessary measures to smoothen the process of NIC registration for vulnerable communities, particularly women, which is a legal prerequisite for their registration as voters. He also instructed the NADRA senior staff to provide the required assistance to Election Commission and other civil society organizations implementing the Campaign, which includes provision of Mobile registration Vans whenever requisitioned by the election Commission under the campaign.