Around 11 Million Pakistani Women Have no Digital Identity – Impact on Elections?

Pakistan’s voter turnover in general elections has remained low in the past with gender disparity also on the high. Things don’t look too optimistic this time as well.  According to PPP senior leader Farhatullah Babar, around 11 million women in the country still don’t have digital registration which implies that they won’t be able to vote in upcoming general elections. It is pertinent to mention here that around 17 million women didn’t cast their vote in the 2018 general elections.

Babar made these remarks during a conference ‘Digitalization & Women in Pakistan’ organized by National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) in partnership with UN Women, UNFPA and others.

Furthermore, the PPP leader also made some other astonishing revelations. According to him, around 2.6 million women in KPK do not possess Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC). The lack of digital registration has limited the role of these women in the political, social, and economic progress of the country. Moreover, they are not able to take benefit of public social safety, education, and health services. He stressed the digital registration of women as it is essential for Pakistan’s economic development.

Apart from Farhatullah Babar, Chairperson NCSW, Nilofar Bakhtiar said

49 percent of the population are women, we cannot leave them behind. At this conference, work not for the advancement of women, work for the advancement of the country.

Other speakers who addressed the conference emphasized the comprehensive process of gathering digital data through nationwide consultations which should involve public and private sectors, civil society, academia, media, and think tanks.

Senator Seemi Ezdi, who asked for the empowerment of women and girls with digital skills, stressed the need for a unified approach in policy formulation. The revised Child Marriage Restraint Act was given to the Minister of Human Rights, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, who showed commitment towards passing the bill before the assembly dissolves.

During the conference, policy frameworks were developed based on the Digitalization & Women in Pakistan report for every province. Representatives from Women Development Departments, Social Welfare Departments, Provincial Commission on the Status of Women (PCSWs), Information and Technology departments, Planning and Development Departments, and Technical Education Departments of all provinces, including Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, contributed to this effort.

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