Women’s Political Participation in Pakistan: A Case Study of Ex-FATA

Abstract

Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has been an area of interest for researchers and non-governmental organisations for a very long time, mainly for its extremist, oppressive, and patriarchal practices. Following the 9/11 attacks, the military launched operations against Al Qaeda and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan terrorists in the area, making FATA a crucial front in the fight against terrorism. Similarly, patriarchy and strict tribal customs in FATA have served as a major impediment to tribal women’s involvement in the political realm. The aim of the paper is to investigate the participation of tribal women in the politics of FATA. It specifies multiple barriers that women face in Pakistan’s political realm and how a male-dominated society plays a role in discouraging their political participation. It also brings attention to those females challenging the male-established status quo. The argument of the paper is based on available literature and uses secondary sources like academic research articles, reports, and newspaper articles to form an analysis. The findings of the paper are based on the analysis of the data provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Free and Fair Election Network. Women’s political participation in Pakistan remains low in general as there is a stark difference between male and female voter turnout. This difference is more prominent in areas of ex-FATA in particular, where patriarchy has a stronghold. Despite strict customs, there have been a few tribal women who attempted to challenge the status quo. There is a need for the state to enact strong regulations which empower women and a need for support from tribesmen to encourage women’s engagement in political activities.