MANSEHRA: The Upper Kohistan police on Tuesday provided security to the only woman election candidate in PK-31 constituency after her banners and posters were torn down by unidentified people in Kamila and Dasu bazaars.

“I am not sure who ripped my posters, banners and PTI flags,” Tehmina Faheem told reporters.

She said the locals told her that the incident possibly occurred because of the local traditions that didn’t allow the display of women’s pictures in public places.

Ms Tehmina said as a woman contestant, she couldn’t openly interact with men to solicit votes but she led a vehicular rally through Kamila and Dasu bazaars.

She said she formally asked deputy commissioner Irfanullah Mehsud for the provision of a guard for herself and the request was accepted. The candidate said she was canvassing along with PTI workers and supporters. “People welcome me though not much,” she said.

Meanwhile, male voters have outnumbered the female electorate in Hazara Division that comprises eight districts.

The division has seven national and 18 provincial assembly seats.

Of the total of 3,374,842 voters in the division, 1,609,078 are women.

Mansehra has the largest number of voters in the region (1,106,237) and Kolai-Palas the least (43,481).

Of Mansehra’s voters, 53 per cent are men and 47 per cent women. As for other districts, men make up 54 per cent of the electorate (23,325) in Kolai-Palas.

Upper Kohistan has 75,660 voters, including 23,325 men and 20,156 women with the registration ratio of 53:47.

In Lower Kohistan, 76,984 people are registered as voters and 53pc of them are men and 47pc women.

Voters in Abbottabad total 952,621 and 53pc of them are men (501,392).

To find your constituency and location of your polling booth, SMS your NIC number (no spaces) to 8300. Once you know your constituency, visit the ECP website here for candidates.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2024