Here’s what is happening across the border: Women vote for the first time in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Balochistan and six parties called out election rigging.
Celebrities slammed for missing poll for an award show
Pakistanis have called out several television and film celebrities on social media for missing the election to attend rehearsals for an award show in Canada, reported Gulf News.
All the people from my fraternity & otherwise travelling abroad at such a crucial time is so heart-breaking . Please let’s not take our country’s future for granted. #Elections2018 #PakistanElections
— Farhan Saeed (@farhan_saeed) July 23, 2018
Their absence was first pointed out by singer-actor Farhan Saeed, the former lead vocalist of the band Jal, without taking names. However, celebrities in Ontario for the ‘Hum TV awards’ soon began posting photographs of themselves from the rehearsals, infuriating quite a few Pakistanis who also initiated a petition to ban the channel.
If you arent casting a vote then you dont have the right to complain about the system of Pakistan.
You arent doing your duty how can you hold someonelse accountable for not doing their duty?
Please stop being a hypocrite, go out & vote for the one you think is best for PAKISTAN.
— ع meme ر (@omeralvii) July 24, 2018
Hum TV later took to Facebook to list reasons for holding rehearsals on 25 July for an event scheduled for 28 July.
Mahira Khan, too, justified her trip on social media, saying the appointment had been planned months in advance. Actor and writer Yasir Hussain was more defiant even as he reiterated Mahira’s argument, saying they were in the Canadian city for work.
History made as election law brings out women barred from vote so far
Election 2018 will go down in history as a watershed moment for Pakistan, where several conservative areas saw women cast their votes for the first time ever, reported Dawn.
The participation of women in elections across orthodox parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan – where it’s a widely held belief that women belong at home – was the result of candidates’ bid to keep up with an election rule introduced in 2017.
The Elections Act, 2017, allows the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to declare an election void if women’s turnout in a constituency is less than 10 per cent of its total votes. As a result, Wednesday, women in certain constituencies were believed to have been herded into polling booths.
However, there were also several pockets where the men said nothing could convince them to go against “tradition”.
Amid reports of election rigging, Imran Khan’s PTI leads
Former cricketer Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was leading the race for power even as Wednesday’s election failed to throw up a clear majority for any player. Currently, PTI is leading, with the PML(N) and the PPP in the second and third position respectively.
The elections, despite the election commission’s denial, have courted much controversy over allegations of rigging, with former PM Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) threatening protests, reported Dawn.
Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) wholly rejects the results of General Elections 2018 due to manifest & massive irregularities. Form 45 was not given to our agents, results were stopped & votes were counted in the absence of our poll agents. This is both unbearable & unacceptable!
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 25, 2018
Several other parties, including Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Pakistan Sarzameen Party, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, among others, echoed the allegations.
Many parties have alleged that presiding officers at polling stations refused to give Form 45 – which contains the statement of vote counts – to polling agents and instead evicted them. The election commission, however, denied any wrongdoing and blamed the delay in results on the breakdown of the Result Transmission System (RTS) used to transfer results to the ECP.
It’s now past midnight & I haven’t received official results from any constituency I am contesting my myself. My candidates complaining polling agents have been thrown out of polling stations across the country. Inexcusable & outrageous.
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) July 25, 2018
Definite results were yet to be announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan by Thursday afternoon but PTI supporters had started celebrating as soon as the polling ended. Khan’s spokesperson said the PM aspirant will address the nation at 2 pm Thursday.
Former governor’s daughter lands in hot water with ‘elitist’ tweet
Late Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer’s daughter Sara Taseer had to face Twitter’s wrath Wednesday when she lauded the large turnout of women voters in Balochistan but questioned their decision-making ability at the same time, reported The News International.
The father of Western philosophy Plato, believed one must elevate oneself in thought & learning prior to being able to delve in democratic tradition. I must admit I've always felt one must attain a level of education prior to attaining voting privilege #justsaying
— Sara Taseer (@sarataseer) July 25, 2018
She then went on to invoke Plato and said people should vote only after attaining a certain level of education, adding the hashtag #justsaying.
The father of Western philosophy Plato, believed one must elevate oneself in thought & learning prior to being able to delve in democratic tradition. I must admit I've always felt one must attain a level of education prior to attaining voting privilege #justsaying
— Sara Taseer (@sarataseer) July 25, 2018
Twitter erupted in anger over her tweets, slamming Taseer for being “elitist”. They also urged her to delete her tweet and apologise for considering illiterate women undeserving of casting their vote.
this reeks of elitism. Ugh. heartfelt sorry on the behalf of those who couldn’t afford to attain any level of education since their father didn’t have shitloads of monies.
— roo d (@Raaderer8) July 25, 2018
https://twitter.com/hushamahmed/status/1022083162418147328
Reminder: ones wealth and social status is largely due to an accident of birth. However one's true worth is determined by one's own actions and words. https://t.co/OxUqjZ8LWd
— Zarrar Khuhro (@ZarrarKhuhro) July 25, 2018
Judging by what you've said, and I think I speak for most people here, it's scarier that you get to decide on the future of the Pakistani nation. https://t.co/7wXe8i0BMu
— Shaheryar Mirza (@mirza9) July 25, 2018
Country’s first female taxi driver struggles to earn
Pakistan’s first female taxi driver and local legend Zahida is struggling to make a living on the male-dominated roads of Rawalpindi, reports Al Jazeera.
Widowed twice, she now has a seven-year-old daughter to look after.
“It’s a sin to be a woman in Pakistan… It’s easy for men,” the 56-year-old widow was quoted as saying, adding, “No matter how hard a woman works, they say this is a woman’s earnings. Her work is not valued the same.”
Zahida, who started driving a taxi in 1992, said that, “to compete with men, I had to be like a man”.
“In quiet moments off the road, she recites nostalgic poetry and reflects on her fate,” the report adds, ending on an optimistic note about Zahida’s journey so far. “We make our own destinies,” she was quoted as saying. “If I had sat at home, I would’ve had no future. I worked hard to get this far.”
Contributors: Hansa Kapoor, Manisha Mondal, Alind Chauhan, Prateek Gupta, Anagha Deshpande and Sharanya Munsi