A striking gender disparity persists in Balochistan’s electoral rolls, with two-thirds of the province”s National Assembly (NA) constituencies continuing to violate the legally mandated 10 percent limit for the voter registration gap, according to recent data published by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
According to a report by Free and Fair Election Network today, the figures, released on 3 February 2026, show that 10 of the 15 NA electoral districts in the province have a disproportionately low number of registered female voters compared to male voters, highlighting a sluggish pace of progress in ensuring equitable electoral participation.
This situation, while concerning, represents a gradual improvement over previous election cycles. During the 2018 general elections, all NA constituencies in Balochistan recorded a gender gap exceeding the 10 percent benchmark, with the disparity averaging 16 percent per constituency. At that time, Balochistan was the only province where the entire slate of NA constituencies failed to meet the legal requirement.
By the 2024 general elections, some advancement was noted as the number of non-compliant constituencies had decreased to 11 out of 15. This marked an incremental step towards narrowing the electoral gender divide, with four constituencies having successfully brought their registration gaps within the permissible limit over the preceding five-year period.
However, progress since 2024 has been minimal. The latest data indicates that only one additional constituency has managed to reduce its gender gap to below the 10 percent threshold, a rate of change described as negligible. These 10 remaining constituencies now represent 66.7 percent of the province’s total and 3.8 percent of all NA constituencies nationwide.
The slow trajectory from 100 percent non-compliance in 2018 to 66.7 percent in 2026 underscores the presence of entrenched structural, administrative, and sociocultural barriers that continue to impede women”s inclusion in the democratic process.
The continued existence of this gap conflicts with legal mandates. Section 47 of the Elections Act, 2017, obliges the ECP to publish disaggregated voter data and implement “special measures” in any constituency where the difference between registered male and female voters surpasses 10 percent.
The legislation places a clear, joint institutional responsibility on both the ECP and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to address the variation. This includes actions by NADRA to expedite the issuance of National Identity Cards (NICs) for women and by the ECP to enrol them on the electoral rolls in the affected areas.
Recommended actions to bridge this divide include targeted voter registration campaigns, NIC facilitation drives, and community-level outreach. Experts stress that the consistent implementation of these provisions is critical to accelerating the downward trend in the gender gap ahead of the next general elections.