ECP approves voting for overseas Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) gave final touches to the mechanism on giving voting right to Overseas Pakistanis in the upcoming by-elections.

The ECP decided that registration of Overseas Pakistanis would be carried out from September 1 to 15. Those who possessed the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) of the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) would be registered who will thus be able to exercise their voting right.

To this effect, the ECP Secretary Babar Fateh Muhammad presided over a meeting here at the ECP Secretariat in the light of the Supreme Court orders with regard to the upcoming by-elections in 37 constituencies, including eleven National Assembly and 26 provincial assemblies.

The meeting focused on giving voting right to the Overseas Pakistanis and gave instructions to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and it was asked to give demonstration before the ECP in the first week of September on the software, prepared specifically for this purpose already.

Side by side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan’s embassies and Nadra will initiate awareness campaign for Pakistanis living abroad enabling them to get themselves registered in maximum number.

Meanwhile, the ECP announced re-election in PK-23, Shangla-I constituency for which polling will be held on September 10. All arrangements in this connection will be made by the returning officer already appointed on May 7, 2018.

The ECP had given its decision on August 10, as only 3505 (5.01) percent female votes were polled during the July 25 general election for they were not allowed to exercise their voting right.

There are 20,0525 registered voters in the constituency, 113,827 of them male and 86,698 are female voters. A total of 69,827 votes had been polled with the share of women voters being as low as 3505 (5.01 pc) against 66,322 polled by male voters. A total of 86,698 registered female voters were part of the total registered voters.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Shaukat Ali had returned by securing 17,399 votes. A four-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (R) Sardar Muhammad Raza heard the case and ordered re-polling in the constituency.

In another development, the ECP announced schedule for the members of Balochistan Assembly to elect a member of the Senate of Pakistan against a general seat, which fell vacant following the resignation tendered by Mir Nematullah Zehri of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

According to the schedule, last date for filing of nomination papers by candidates with the returning officer is August 29: same day the list of nominated candidates will be issued while the last date for scrutiny of nomination papers is September 1. The last date for filing of appeals against acceptance or rejection of nominations is September 3 while the last date for disposal of appeals by the tribunal is September 5. The revised list of candidates will be issued next day and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is September 7. Polling is scheduled for September 12 at the Provincial Assembly building, Quetta.