In Kohistan, political parties contesting elections have been restricted from sending female members for door-to-door campaigning in various constituencies of the district.
According to details, a 30-member clerical group, mostly affiliated with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), has issued a unanimous decree against female door-to-door campaigning.
In their decree, the group of clerics has categorically forbidden canvassing by women for the upcoming February 8 general elections in Kohistan.
“Taking women door-to-door for seeking votes is against the Islamic injunctions and Shariah,” JUI-F’s Mufti Gul Shahzada of Kandia said in a gathering.
A group of at least 400 clerics from different parts of the district attended the gathering. They all endorsed the six decrees presented by Mufti Shahzada related to the upcoming elections.
It is pertinent to mention that multiple women candidates, including Tehmina Faheem from PK-31 Kohistan-I, former MPA Momina Basit, and independent candidate Sanaya Sabeel from PK-33 Kolai-Palas, are competing for seats in the February 8 general elections.
Mufti Shahzada informed the gathering that all decrees had been issued in consideration of the current situation. He added that these are based on the Islamic injunctions with references taken from various religious books.
“If anybody votes against Islamic ideology, it means he is testifying to an untrue and biased statement, which is a grave sin and also against Islamic Shariah,” Shahzada said.
The clerics warned against using the Holy Quran to compel people to vote as it is a sinful act and should never be practiced.
“Those casting votes on the linguistic, regional, and clan grounds are also negating Islamic teachings, and no such exercise should be carried out in this district,” the mufti added.
