News
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
3.7m overseas Pakistanis get right to vote* All Pakistanis who possess National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis will be registered in electoral rolls
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has allowed all overseas Pakistanis the right to vote in general elections, given they have their National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP).
The decision was made at a meeting held in the ECP Secretariat on Tuesday.
The meeting, chaired by ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan, decided that all Pakistanis having NICOP would get registered in the electoral rolls and be allowed to exercise the right of franchise.
Ishtiak Khan requested the participants of the meeting to give serious consideration to the process by which overseas Pakistanis could properly be involved in the political process of the country.
Various possibilities were considered and discussed, and the participants agreed that overseas Pakistanis could cast their votes through postal ballots.
The members earlier thought that the time granted to the process may not be enough, a hurdle which could be overcome by having necessary amendments and legislation.
The Overseas Pakistanis Foundation suggested sending ballot papers to the Pakistani embassies and high commissions concerned, where they could be attested and authenticated.
The Foreign Office was of the view that establishment of a number of polling stations abroad for the overseas Pakistanis could be helpful in this regard.
The International Foundation For Electoral Systems (IFES) suggested that since it would be difficult to translate votes into seats, some parliamentary seats could be reserved for overseas Pakistanis, where it would be mandatory for a candidate to affiliate with a political party. Other modalities of this proportional representation were thought over and discussed.
The meeting decided to put the minutes of the consultative meeting before the ECP, adding that further deliberation should be made to reach a fair and integrated solution.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has congratulated 3.7 million overseas Pakistanis who have been given the right to vote in general elections. Gilani said he had been advocating the cause at all forums, and also during his visits abroad.
He said Pakistanis working in other countries were keenly interested in peace and progress of their motherland, and had always reached out to their countrymen during difficult times, particularly in the aftermath of natural calamities.
He said the decision would enable overseas Pakistanis to play their positive role in national politics, as they were doing in the economy by contributing more than $11 billion every year.
The PM urged the ECP to take all necessary measures to facilitate and help overseas Pakistanis exercise their right to vote in the countries of their residence. The participants of the meeting expressed their commitment to play their role in enabling overseas Pakistanis cast their votes with ease.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk