ECP to start registration of overseas Pakistanis as voters from tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will start online registration for overseas Pakistanis as voters from tomorrow September 1 and will continue till 15th of next month.

Director General Public Relations ECP Nadeem Qasim, while speaking  to media on Friday, said overseas Pakistanis possessing valid machine-readable passports can get themselves registered as voters within the stipulated time.

He said after the due date voter lists will be handed over to the concerned returning officers and names of overseas voters will be scored out. He said such voters cannot cast their vote manually in Pakistan.

He said this online voting registration system has been developed with the cooperation between ECP and NADRA.

Replying to a question, he said it is a pilot project and overseas Pakistanis can register their votes to exercise their right to franchise in upcoming by-elections across Pakistan.

He said over 700,000 overseas Pakistanis will be able to get their vote registered through the newly developed system.

On Aug 17, a bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar directed the ECP to take necessary measures with the help of Nadra to ensure participation of the overseas Pakistanis in by-elections.

The electoral body is to conduct by-elections on seats of the national and provincial assemblies which were vacated by political leaders who returned on more than one seats in the July 25 elections and constituencies where the polls couldn’t be held owing to some reasons.

The ECP has issued the schedule for the by-elections according to which the voting for 37 seats – 11 of the National Assembly and 26 of the provincial assemblies – will be held on October 14.