The Election Commission of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday unveiled the priority lists submitted by political parties for women and minorities in the province.
Among the parties, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has drawn attention with its submissions.
The National Assembly has earmarked 10 seats for women from the province, while the Provincial Assembly comprises 26 seats for women and 4 reserved seats for minorities.
Among the key revelations is the submission of a list of 84 women candidates by political parties for the Provincial Assembly.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has submitted a list that includes 8 women candidates for the Provincial Assembly, a number lower than the lists provided by some other major parties.
Interestingly, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) (JUIF) has taken the lead by fielding a maximum of 19 women candidates for the Provincial Assembly. The Awami National Party (ANP) and the People's Party have submitted lists with 13 women candidates each, while the Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamaat-e-Islami have included 8 women in their respective lists.
For the National Assembly, the People's Party and the Muslim League have listed 7 and 5 women candidates, respectively. Jamaat-e-Islami, ANP, and JUIF have submitted lists featuring four women each.
In a notable contrast, PTI's submission for the Provincial Assembly includes only 3 women candidates, signaling a departure from the trend set by some of the other major political players.
Turning to minority representation, the JUIF has listed 13 candidates for the four provincial minority seats, while the People's Party and the PML-N have submitted lists with five candidates each. Interestingly, PTI has presented only one minority candidate for consideration.