As local elections in Pakistan are drawing nearer, the local jirga – a traditional group of leaders that make decisions according to the teachings of Islam – has become active in the Odigram area of Swat valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, barring women from voting. The jirga is trying to convince elders to stop women from going to the polls on May 30 in order to follow the region’s conservative traditions.