Pakistan: Women get shut out of voting in He-Man-Woman-Hater districts

"That is their tradition, we can do nothing." says government official.

"Not only are women only polling stations bull-shi&, so is your tradition." says Dinah Lord.

VOTING stopped at women-only polling stations in parts of northwest Pakistan after elders decided that women should not cast ballots, police and officials said.

Peshawar district mayor Ghulam Ali said voting had to be discontinued in Maryamzai, Budaber and other areas on the outskirts of Peshawar, which is close to the Afghan border where al-Qaeda and Taliban militants are active.

Men and women vote at separate locations throughout Pakistan, an Islamic republic.

"I have reports that elders in the area decided that voting by women is against our culture," Mr Ali said. "This is their tradition. We can do nothing."

Chief election commissioner Qazi Farooq, in a televised speech yesterday, warned that stern action would be taken if people tried to prevent women from casting their votes.

Pakistan has 81 million registered voters, about 36 million of whom are women.
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