Women’s Day Pakistan
Women’s Right to Vote in Pakistan
August 14, (1947)

Number of female heads of state to date: 1

Women’s Right to Vote in Pakistan: A Milestone in Equality and Political Participation

The journey toward women’s suffrage in Pakistan reflects broader struggles for gender equality in the country. Women in Pakistan gained the right to vote in 1947, the year of the country’s independence. This was a significant step, as the right to vote was enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan and reinforced by successive amendments, ensuring that women could participate in shaping the nation’s future.

Historical Context

Pakistan’s first constitution in 1956 guaranteed universal suffrage for all citizens, regardless of gender. This was a bold move in a region where many countries had yet to extend voting rights to women. In the early years, women like Fatima Jinnah, the sister of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, played pivotal roles in advocating for women’s rights and political involvement.

Despite legal rights, cultural and societal barriers often limited women’s political participation. Over time, progressive reforms and activism have helped to dismantle some of these barriers.

Women in Politics

Women have played an increasingly prominent role in Pakistani politics. The most notable figure is Benazir Bhutto, who became the first woman to lead a Muslim-majority country as Prime Minister in 1988. Her leadership marked a turning point, inspiring many women to pursue political careers.

Today, Pakistan’s parliament reserves 17% of seats for women, ensuring representation at both the national and provincial levels. While this quota system has been praised for empowering women, critics argue that more needs to be done to encourage women to contest general seats rather than rely on reserved ones.

Prominent female politicians like Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s first female Foreign Minister, and Sherry Rehman, a leading diplomat and senator, continue to shape the nation’s political discourse. Additionally, grassroots movements led by women are emerging as powerful forces for social and political change.

Challenges and Progress

Despite legal protections and political representation, women in Pakistan face numerous challenges, including cultural conservatism, gender-based violence, and economic inequality. Voter turnout among women is often lower than men due to social restrictions and lack of awareness.

However, recent years have seen positive trends. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken steps to ensure greater inclusion of women in the electoral process. For instance, in the 2018 general elections, it mandated the annulment of results in constituencies where women’s voter turnout was less than 10%.

Women’s political participation is also bolstered by civil society organizations working to educate women about their voting rights and encourage them to run for office.

News and Trends

Recent developments highlight the growing political agency of women in Pakistan:

  • Women-Led Advocacy: Activists like Malala Yousafzai, though not directly involved in politics, have amplified global attention on gender equality and women’s rights in Pakistan.
  • Increased Voter Registration: Efforts by the ECP and NGOs have led to higher rates of voter registration among women, narrowing the gender gap in the electoral rolls.
  • Emerging Leaders: A new generation of women leaders is emerging, focusing on diverse issues like climate change, education, and economic empowerment.
  • Legislative Achievements: Female lawmakers have been instrumental in passing progressive legislation, such as laws against domestic violence and harassment.

A Path Forward

The fight for women’s political empowerment in Pakistan is far from over. Cultural shifts, education, and economic independence are key to ensuring that women can fully exercise their right to vote and participate in governance. As Pakistan continues to evolve, the role of women in politics will remain a critical factor in shaping its future.

Women’s right to vote in Pakistan is more than a legal provision—it is a symbol of their agency and potential to influence the nation’s trajectory. With ongoing efforts and societal change, the vision of a more inclusive and equitable Pakistan seems within reach.


Political Empowerment of Women in Pakistan

By Mrs. Asma Afzal Shami

“Equality of status, equality of opportunity, equal pay for equal work and guarantee of rights for Muslim women under the Muslim Personal Law of Shariah” were apart of the Charter of Women’s Rights, prepared by Begum Jahan Ara Shahnawaz. The Charter was passed by the Constituent Assembly with an overwhelming majority, in spite of the fact that Mr. Zafarullah, who was chairing the meeting, opposed the bill. It was his contention that a newborn state could not afford this “luxury”, especially as British Prime Minister even Mr. Churchill had refused to agree to equal pay for equal work for women in Britain. Therefore, the adoption of this charter was certainly a great victory for both the lady parliamentarians in particular, and the women of Pakistan in general.

However, the landmark legislation of that era was the acceptance in the 1956 Constitution, of the principle of female suffrage for the seats reserved for women, allocated on the basis of special territorial constituencies. This, in effect granted women dual voting rights – one for general seats and the other for the reserved women’s seats. The importance and potential of this right towards the political empowerment of women was apparently not fully grasped by the framers of our subsequent constitutions. Hence it was abolished in the 1962 Constitution, which replaced it with a system of indirect elections. This stipulated that henceforth the elected members of the Assemblies would elect women members for the reserved women seats. As voting would obviously be on party lines, women candidates would therefore be selected by their party bosses rather than elected by their real constituents i.e. the women of Pakistan. This in fact turned women members into “token representatives”. Unfortunately, this concept of indirect elections was retained in the 1973 Constitution.

During the 1970 Election campaign, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto emerged as the clear front runner in the Punjab and Sind, particularly among the poorer segment of civil society. His message had a special fascination for women who were encouraged to believe that, in a PPP regime that would provide “Roti, Kapra aur Makaan,” they too could develop as dignified human beings in their own right. Thus, for the first time, women voted for the candidates of their own choice, irrespective of their husband’s desires. This was a big step in the political empowerment of women at the grass roots level.
> pu.edu.pk/images/journal/studies/PDF-FILES/Artical%20-%208.pdf

UN Women

Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, as amended to 2019
> constitutions.unwomen.org/pakistan

Women and the vote

Jul 6, 2020 – In a significant decision, the Election Commission of Pakistan has mandated that each province have at least one woman district election commissioner. The move is certainly a laudatory one and will hopefully lead to more women taking part in the electoral process, strengthening the practice of democratic decision-making. While the Constitution guarantees women the right to vote, fewer women show up to polling stations on the day of the elections, as compared to their male counterparts, because of a host of setbacks. Despite being half the population, Pakistani women are often treated as second-class citizens due to harmful and pervasive cultural norms that impact every facet of their life: from the quality of their health and education, to income and life expectancy. Increased participation of women in the elections — as voters and candidates — leads to more women-centric laws being tabled in parliament; or more laws that take women’s interests and lived realities into consideration.
> read more


For First Time in Decades, Some Pakistani Women Vote

Authorities Should Promote Equal Participation in Elections

By Saroop Ijaz
Apr 3, 2018 – For the first time in more than 40 years, women turned out in significant numbers to vote in one of Pakistan’s districts.

The vote for local government in Upper Dir district of Pakistan’s northern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, held last week, was necessary because the previous election, held in 2017, was annulled by the Election Commission of Pakistan because no women had participated. The country’s election law requires at least 10 percent of voters to be women in each constituency for an election to be valid.

In October, Pakistan enacted the Elections Act to end disenfranchisement of women. Although a constitutional right, millions of women have been de facto barred from voting through agreements among political parties, local elders, and powerful figures, using outdated customs as an excuse. While the robust female turnout in the Upper Dir by-election could generate greater voting by women there and elsewhere in the future, the Pakistan government needs to do much more to ensure that women can participate on an equal basis in the electoral process.
> read more


Facts and figures

Leadership and political participation – [UN Women]
IPU-UN Women in politics map – [IPU]


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