Ten of the 15 National Assembly (NA) constituencies in Balochistan province recorded a voter registration gender gap exceeding the legally permissible threshold of 10 percent, according to the constituency-wise electoral rolls published by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on 3 February 2026.

During the 2018 general elections, the voter registration gender gap in all NA constituencies of Balochistan exceeded 10 percent, with an average gender gap of 16 percent per constituency. Balochistan, at that time, stood as the only province in the country where the gender gap across all NA constituencies surpassed the legally permissible threshold. These constituencies represented 5.5 percent of all constituencies nationwide and accounted for 100 percent of the province’s constituencies, underscoring the pervasive and systemic nature of the disparity.

Read FAFEN’s story: Sindh Still Has 10 Constituencies Above 10% Threshold

By the time of the 2024 general elections, 11 out of 15 NA constituencies in the province continued to record a voter registration gender gap exceeding 10 percent. Nevertheless, a degree of progress was evident, as four constituencies had successfully reduced their gender gap over the preceding five years, reflecting incremental improvement in narrowing the electoral gender disparity. These 11 constituencies represented 4.1 percent of the total national constituencies and 73.3 percent of the province’s total constituencies, indicating that while change was underway, it remained far from sufficient.

However, the post-2024 period has yielded only marginal improvement. According to the most recent data published by the ECP, the voter registration gender gap continues to exceed 10 percent in 10 of the 15 NA constituencies in Balochistan. Only one additional constituency managed to reduce its gender gap following the 2024 general elections, representing a negligible rate of progress. These 10 constituencies constitute 3.8 percent of the country’s total National Assembly constituencies, while within the province, they account for 66.7 percent of its total NA constituencies.

While the overall trajectory suggests a gradual trend toward greater gender balance in voter registration from 100 percent of constituencies in 2018 to 66.7 percent in 2026, the pace of progress remains deeply inadequate. The persistence of gender gaps above the legal threshold in 10 constituencies is a stark reflection of entrenched structural, administrative, and sociocultural barriers that continue to obstruct women’s equitable inclusion in the electoral process in Balochistan.

Read FAFEN’s story: Gender-Gap Exceeds Legal Limit in 23 NA Constituencies

What the Elections Act requires

The continued presence of a gap of this nature nonetheless underscores the need for sustained institutional actions. Section 47(1) of the Elections Act, 2017 requires the ECP to annually publish disaggregated data of registered male and female voters in each constituency and to highlight the difference in their numbers. Under Section 47(2), the Commission must take special measures in any constituency where this difference exceeds 10 percent, including measures to reduce this variation. Section 47(3) further specifies that these measures shall include action by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to expedite National Identity Card (NIC) issuance for women in affected constituencies, and by the ECP to enroll them as voters in the relevant electoral area. This provision places a clear, joint institutional responsibility on both NADRA and the ECP to address the gender gap where it crosses the legal threshold.

These measures include targeted voter registration campaigns, NIC facilitation drives, and community-level outreach to address the barriers that continue to limit women’s registration. Consistent implementation of these provisions is critical to ensuring that the downward trend in the gender gap is sustained and accelerated in the electoral rolls ahead of the next general elections.

Read FAFEN’s Story: 54% of Pakistan’s Population Is Registered as Voters

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