12/28/2018 Is Pakistan’s gender quota in parliament showing results?

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Is Pakistan’s gender quota in parliament showing

results?
Compared to only 1.8% of members in 1995, women accounted for an aggregate of 20.7% of the total membership of National
Assembly and the Senate in 2015.

News Desk - July 4, 2018

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12/28/2018 Is Pakistan’s gender quota in parliament showing results? - Global Village Space

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News Analysis |

Parliamentarians, members of civil society and women’s rights activists all urged political parties to ensure reserved 5% quota for women in
parliament in the upcoming general elections 2018, in accordance with Elections Act 2017.

They were speaking at the publication launch of “Making Gender Quota Meaningful”, organized and published by Heinrich Boell Stiftung (HBS)
at Serena Hotel on Wednesday. The authors, Rukhshanda Naz and Hasan Nasir Mirbahar, detailed the historical context of the gender quota
as well as the legal framework for women’s political participation and highlighted potential issues and solutions.

According to the report, while women’s representation in Pakistan’s Federal Parliament has significantly increased in the past two decades,
due to lack of active-implementation of the law, its full potential is yet to be realized. Compared to only 1.8% of members in 1995, women
accounted for an aggregate of 20.7% of the total membership of National Assembly and the Senate in 2015.

The previous government could not reach quorum without women candidates so every election has been a milestone in furthering women in
politics”, said Mumtaz.

Speaking to intersectionality within women’s political representation, Country Director Heinrich Boell Stiftung Pakistan, Jacqueline Wilk
commented on the need to include diverse profiles and perspectives on the gender quota and that gender democracy is a core component of
HBS. She further acknowledged that women’s increased representation in Parliament is a global issue, as even in Germany only 34% of
women are represented in Parliament.

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12/28/2018 Is Pakistan’s gender quota in parliament showing results? - Global Village Space

The European Union Mission for election observation and monitoring was also presented at the launch and noted the importance of
accountability for free and fair elections. Moderating the event, Dr. Farzana Bari, a gender rights activist and academic, acknowledged the
lack of gender representation is not only a Pakistan-specific issue but a global one, statistics show that only 23% women are in Parliament.

Read more: Let Women be themselves

The event saw balanced representation from almost all parties such as Bushra Gohar from Awami National Party; Nargis Nasir, Pakistan
Muslim League-N; Nusrat Sehr Abbasi, PML-N; Shazia Ahmed, National Party; Aneesa Zeb, Qaumi Watan Party and Ismat Shahjehan, Awami
Workers Party.

Ahmed representing NP, spoke to the importance of utilizing the gender quota effectively so in future elections, the country can move past
just quotas and have organic equal political participation and representation.

According to the report, while women’s representation in Pakistan’s Federal Parliament has significantly increased in the past two decades, due
to lack of active-implementation of the law, its full potential is yet to be realized.

Shahjehan, AWP commented on the flawed nature of mainstream politics which the quota is impacted by as well. “While we are appreciative
of the affirmative action quota, our party before the Elections Act 2017 had planned to give seats to youth and women. Our party believes in
the feminist agenda”, she expounded.

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12/28/2018 Is Pakistan’s gender quota in parliament showing results? - Global Village Space

Read more: Why South Asian Women politicians have not empowered women in their…

Nasir from PML-N implored foundations and NGOs to invest in the training of female politicians and candidates so they can be quality leaders
in their communities. She also criticized, rampant nepotism that takes place with some prominent female candidates where there male
relatives are the ultimate decision-makers.

Zeb from QWP noted that her party focuses on KPK and Balochistan, she shared that she is a grassroots and middle-class candidate who is
optimistic to running on the quota as it has made her entry easier. She complained about her constituency, for not furthering the feminist
agenda of gender quota enough.

Ahmed representing NP, spoke to the importance of utilizing the gender quota effectively so in future elections, the country can move past just
quotas and have organic equal political participation and representation.

Representing NP, Ahmed pointed out that “PKR 30,000 is not enough for many individuals who wish to stand and that women campaigners
often don’t have the same access to campaign funds and support as male counterparts or the same power in their area”. Therefore, “women
are not able to run in their strongholds. She also noted that if class, religion and cultural representation is needed, then male leadership
needs to accept not only women but individuals from all walks of life for greater inclusivity in government and society.

Read more: Breaking barriers: Kanwal Shauzab the only female general Senate seat nominee

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12/28/2018 Is Pakistan’s gender quota in parliament showing results? - Global Village Space

Khawar Mumtaz, Chair-woman of the National Commission on the Status of Women offered the closing remarks and stressed that women’s
socio-economic progress in the country is intrinsically tied to their representation and clout in politics. “This quota is a minimum legal
requirement. It took ten years of sustained work for this quota to be established and was by and large, the result of women’s hard work. The
previous government could not reach quorum without women candidates so every election has been a milestone in furthering women in
politics”, said Mumtaz.

She also remarked that women have potential power as candidates and voters, but that women will not come out and vote in great volumes
unless they believe voting will improve their lives. The chairwoman stressed that “political culture needs to be changed within parties and
women should not be token candidates but achieve a critical mass.”

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