ECP allows overseas Pakistanis to exercise voting right in bye elections

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday decided to allow overseas Pakistanis to exercise their right of casting vote in up-coming bye-elections.

The decision was made in a meeting chaired by Secretary ECP Babar Yaqoob to discuss the matter of permission to overseas Pakistanis for casting their vote in bye-elections.

The meeting finalized the strategy to allow all overseas Pakistanis to cast their vote in bye-elections in the light of orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding vote of overseas Pakistanis and special instructions have been issued to National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in this regard.

The meeting directed the NADRA to demonstrate the developed software before the ECP by the start of September.

The meeting decided that during September 1st to September 15, all those overseas Pakistanis will be registered, who will have National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NOCOP) or Machine Readable Passport (MRP).

It was decided that after registration process all registered overseas Pakistanis will be allowed to cast their vote in bye-elections, which will be held in different constituencies of the country.

The meeting also decided to start voters’ awareness drive to ensure registration of maximum overseas Pakistanis as voters.

In this regard the ECP will get support of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NADRA and Pakistani embassies in different countries.