ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday extended the deadline for overseas Pakistanis to register themselves as voters to participate in the i-voting for the upcoming by-elections.
Expatriate Pakistanis can now get themselves registered till 9:00 am on Monday, according to the Commission. The previous deadline was expiring on Sept 15 (tomorrow).
The ECP earlier this week dismissed concerns over the i-voting which will enable overseas Pakistanis to vote in the by-elections scheduled to be held on Oct 14.
Speaking at a press conference, ECP’s spokesperson Nadeem Qasim had rejected the claim that the Commission was acting hastily to allow expatriate Pakistanis to exercise their right to franchise through the software.
He said it was a right of the overseas Pakistani to vote and called on political parties to appreciate the electoral body’s efforts in this regard.
Mr Qasim said foolproof voting system has been devised for the by-elections. He added an awareness program has also been started for overseas Pakistanis to educate them about i-voting.
The spokesperson said those possessing National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistani (NICOP), Machine Readable Passport (MRP) or are registered as voter in any constituency are eligible for the i-voting.
Mr Qasim said this is a pilot project and a report will be submitted in the parliament after its implementation.
