s Pakistan approached its 2024 general elections, a significant portion of the population found itself overlooked by most political parties. More than half of the people with disabilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa say it was as if they were not important to these parties, says Laiqat Ali Khan, a member of Roshni Rehabilitation Welfare Organisation Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Laiqat Ali, a 28-year-old tailor from the Gajo Khan area of Mardan district, is one of the neglected citizens. He was disabled by polio at nine months old after his foot was paralysed. The condition that has profoundly affected his life. He is one of the many disabled voters in KP who feel abandoned by the political system.

“If we were important to political parties, they would at least raise their voices ahead of the general election for provision of necessary facilities at polling stations so that people with disabilities could cast their votes,” Ali says. His words echo the sentiment of many who feel that their basic rights are being denied.

According to the Free and Fair Election Network, as many as 60.6 million voters exercised their right to vote in Pakistan’s 12th general elections on February 8. Among them there were more than 520,000 disabled voters nationwide, including over 344,000 men who participated in the voting process. Of these, approximately 35,000 were visually impaired. However, many people with disabilities in the KP were unable to exercise their right to vote due to the lack of accessible facilities at polling stations.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, around 3.28 million people in Pakistan have a disability. This makes about 13 per cent of the population. In KP alone, the number of people with disabilities is 375,752. Of these, 31.7 per cent are physically impaired; 7.3 per cent are mentally challenged; 8.7 per cent have multiple disabilities; and 31 per cent fall under other categories. Despite this substantial demographic, political parties and the government have failed to ensure that polling stations are accessible to all citizens.

“Despite the large number of people with disabilities, proper arrangements for them were missing. This shows that the political parties do not value our participation,” says Ali. His frustration is shared by many in the disabled community who feel that their needs are being ignored by those in power.

Pakistan has made several commitments at the international level to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the electoral process. In the backdrop of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Pakistan highlighted its commitments through the Islamabad Declaration (2014) and the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia’s Colombo Resolution (2015). However, these commitments have not been effectively redeemed.

The 2018 election revealed many barriers to participation for persons with disabilities. However, little has changed since then. Pakistan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which guarantees equal voting rights. Yet, in the 2024 general election, many polling stations failed to meet accessibility standards, including staff capable of conversing in sign language, adequate doorways and even floors. As a result, disabled voters often required assistance from others to cast their ballots. This undermined their independence and privacy.

Qamar Naseem, programme manager at Blue Veins, an organisation that advocates for the rights of women and marginalised communities, stresses the importance of making polling stations accessible. “It is necessary to assess all buildings where the Election Commission plans to establish polling stations and make improvements that make them accessible,” Naseem emphasises. This could include locating all polling stations on ground floors, training election staff on disability inclusion and sensitising polling staff to the barriers faced by people with disabilities.

He advocates for a cross-sectoral approach to achieving these goals, involving civil society organisations, activists, advocates, NGO professionals, public servants and the government. “Accessible elections mean that persons with disabilities are accommodated at polling stations with both comprehensive information regarding the electoral process and accessible locations and transportation to polling stations,” Naseem adds. By utilising the expertise of various stakeholders, Pakistan can create a more inclusive and accessible electoral process.

Imran Takkar, a human rights activist, emphasises that under the constitution, every citizen has an equal right and should not be discriminated against in any way. “Disabled persons should have the right to vote and easy access to polling stations and campaigns,” he says. “Given their special needs, it is important to provide them with the opportunity to choose their representatives based on their own understanding.”

Takkar believes that transforming broad commitments into tangible improvements requires a comprehensive and timely implementation of measures aimed at enhancing the electoral inclusion of persons with disabilities. “Ground-level initiatives, such as locating all polling stations on the ground floor and providing disability inclusion training to ECP staff, are imperative,” Takkar asserts.

He also emphasises the importance of a cross-sectoral approach, involving the expertise of civil society organisations, activists, advocates, NGO professionals, public servants and the government. “By prioritising these initiatives, Pakistan has the potential not only to become a regional leader in fostering inclusivity but also to strengthen its democratic foundations, ensuring that no individual is left behind in the upcoming elections,” Takkar says.

The participation of disabled voters not only benefits certain individuals but also strengthens Pakistan’s democracy. Ensuring that everyone can fully participate in the electoral process must be a priority in the upcoming elections.

Anwar Shah, a representative of the Disabled Persons Alliance in Peshawar, underscores the importance of this inclusion. He cites Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which states that all citizens are equal before law and entitled to equal protection. This, he says, includes the commitment that there shall be no discrimination based on sex or disability.

Shah points out that the Elections Act clearly states that all citizens, including women, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups, have an equal right to participate in the polling process. Sections 47 and 48 of the Act require the Election Commission to take special measures for the registration of women, persons with disabilities, members of minorities and transgender persons as voters.

“Even if the government cannot provide people with disabilities with equal opportunities for education, healthcare and employment, they should ensure that they can exercise their right to vote,” Shah says. He demands that political parties and the Election Commission of Pakistan collect data on people with disabilities and register all those aged 17 and above so they can vote in future elections. He also calls for mandatory ramps in all buildings to ensure accessibility.

The exclusion of disabled voters from the electoral process must end. The voices of individuals like Laiqat Ali and Anwar Shah cannot be ignored. It is crucial for political parties, the government and the civil society to work together to ensure that the upcoming elections are truly inclusive, allowing all citizens, regardless of their physical abilities, to exercise their right to vote.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Peshawar