ECP devising strategy for e-voting of Pak expats

PESHAWAR: The Right of vote to the expatriate Pakistanis has become one of the major demands of a political party and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the directives of Supreme Court (SC) is devising a strategy of e-voting for the purpose.

Though it has yet to be decided as the arrangements could be made to facilitate the expatriate Pakistanis to exercise their right of franchise in the 2018 general election, it needs to be analysed as to how practical the exercise would be while keeping in view the ground realities.

The ECP has to brief representatives of political parties on the electronic voting arrangements, but first it should be known as to how many Pakistanis working in foreign countries particularly in Gulf States are literate enough or having know-how of using email for casting vote.

It should be kept in mind that anyone either on the pretext of help in casting e-vote or even receiving or collecting the vote data might misuse this facility. Although those in Europe, US and other developed countries would be educated but a vast majority of Pakistanis working in the Gulf States are illiterate.

Second, how many of the expatriates Pakistanis, mostly doing hard labour, would be interested in voting by leaving their job or sacrificing their daily wages keeping in view the fact that voters' turnout inland has not exceeded 55 percent.

The result of polls held in the country during the last three to four decades shows the turnout hardly crossed 40 percent, except the 2013 elections with 55 percent. According to ECP, the turnout in the 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2008 and 2013 remained 43.07 percent 45.46 percent 40.28 percent, 35.42 percent, 41.08 percent, 44.23 percent and 55 percent, respectively.

Third, how much effect it would have on the overall result as with some exceptions, the expatriate Pakistanis would definitely follow their families or close relatives in voting a candidate from the constituency in their homeland, despite the fact that a handsome amount out of the taxpayers' money of the poor public would be spent on the exercise.

It is also a fact that politics in Pakistan has turned into enmities crossing all limits of tolerance and taking this politics to foreign countries might cause differences among the Pakistanis living abroad. It may lead to earning a bad name for the country in case any untoward incident takes place over political divide.

Permission from the concerned government or administration could also be an issue for the Pakistani embassies in case the polling stations are required for the purpose. And the most important issue is authenticity of the voting processes, verification and counting otherwise it might open another Pandora's box in the already polarised society wherein losing parties hardly accept the election result.

Computer and social media experts have already shown concern over e-voting, arguing that only a single person can manipulate thousands of votes and get result of his/her choice.