Govt to deprive overseas Pakistanis of their right to vote

The federal government has started the process to deprive overseas Pakistan of their right to vote in the general elections.

A bill to reverse the PTI government’s bill, providing overseas Pakistan with a right to vote, has been presented in the National Assembly. The bill was presented by estranged PTI MNA Noor Alam Khan on May 10 and was not objected to by Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar.

The Law Minister said that the bill should be presented and discussed in the Electoral reforms committee. The speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf handed over the bill to the electoral reforms committee.

Also Read:Overseas Pakistanis protest outside ECP, demand right to vote

 

It is to be noted that the former government had passed a bill in the National Assembly which provided overseas Pakistani’s right to vote in the general elections.

In November 2021, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan presented the Electoral reforms bill, which included the usage of Electronic Voting Machines in the next general elections. The same bill provided overseas nationals with their right to vote.

The government parties have been very vocal against the provision of overseas voting, claiming the process would raise rigging concerns. The PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto had also proposed special seats for overseas Pakistanis.