Taliban closes Poll doors on FATA women in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have been ordered by the Taliban not to cast their votes in Monday's polls.
    
The local Taliban have distributed pamphlets in the region warning the tribesmen of "serious punishment" if the women do not keep away from polling stations.
    
If the Taliban have their way tomorrow, about 424,332 of the 1,524,284 registered women voters will be deprived of their right to franchise, the Daily Times has reported.
    
Pamphlets were distributed over the last two weeks in Bajuar, Kurram and Mohmand agencies. Last week, Lashkar-e-Islami chief Mangal Bagh announced that women would not be allowed to vote in two constituencies of Khyber Agency - Jamrud and Bara subdivisions.
    
Bagh said women's participation in the electoral process was against tribal traditions and those who vote would be punished "in line with tribal traditions".
    
Pakistan People's Party FATA women's wing president Ayesha Gulalai has said that women voters in FATA had become victims of both the local Taliban and as well as of tribal traditions.
    
Rakhshanda Naz, resident director of Aurat Foundation in Peshawar, said she had written to the election commissioner and President Pervez Musharraf about the jirgas not allowing women to vote but no action has been taken.
    
"It is the government's responsibility to protect women voters," she said.
    
"But because of law and order fears and a biased Election Commission a majority of women will remain in their houses on election day," she said.