Vote or not?: Overseas voters wait and watch

4.5m Pakistanis unsure if they’ll get the chance to vote.

KARACHI: May 11 has got every Pakistani excited. But the 4.5 million voters who live outside the country and make a significant contribution to the economy continue to wonder anxiously whether they would get to exercise their constitutional right or not.

With only days to go before the polls, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which has dragged its feet on the matter for two years, is about to abort the e-voting option. The belaboured process added to the confusion of Pakistanis living abroad, some of whom do not even know where they would be casting their votes if a system is miraculously set up at the last minute.

“I really wanted to vote, so did my husband, and we were hoping something could be arranged in the embassy. But, unfortunately, I do not think that will be possible,” UAE-based Beenum Mansoor said.

Many of those who responded to a questionnaire by The Express Tribune said they did not know where they had to go in their current country of residence to vote.

Others said that they were relying on the Pakistani news media for information about progress the ECP has made in ensuring voting for those living overseas. Amber in Toronto, when asked if she had contacted anyone at the Pakistani mission there, said she had, and described the response only as “lost”. Tariq Qureshi in Las Vegas was critical of the attitude of personnel at the mission he contacted.

This is not the only problem for some overseas Pakistanis. While those living in cities with either consulates or embassies said that it would take them up to 30 minutes to drive to the polling stations, others said they may have to fly out to the nearest consulate to be able to vote. Sagheer Ahmad in Australia said “It’s a two hours flight to Canberra from the Gold Coast, costing at least $500.”

Practical concerns

Missions abroad still await a final verdict on the issue, and are concerned about when the systems will be put in place and their staff trained for the polls.

Till Wednesday, none of the missions that The Express Tribune spoke to had received any instructions from Islamabad.

“It would be quite difficult to put in place the system developed by NADRA in the missions abroad well in time,” said Ghulam Haider, the press attaché at the Berlin embassy.

Haider added that those NICOP holders registered with the ECP may be extended the postal ballot facility.

“If the system is put in place well in time, which is by the end of this month, the officials in the Embassy will be able to cope with the situation,” he said.

In Ottawa, the press counselor Nazia Khalid said that the Canadian government had given its consent to enable “Pakistani expatriate community to cast their ballot on election day.” Necessary arrangements, she said, have been made at the four missions in Canada.

The Pakistani consul general in Dubai, Tariq Soomro, was also confident that, even if they received a green signal a fortnight before elections, they would be able to get all systems in place. “It depends on when NADRA trains and sends officials,” he said.

Soomro said that they will be setting up 20 polling booths at the consulate, while 20 others would be set up at the embassy in Abu Dhabi. With 1.3 million expatriates living in UAE, he said additional polling stations will be set up at the Pakistani schools in Shahrjah and Fujeirah. 

How to vote for overseas Pakistanis

E-Voting

An untested electronic voting system that was developed by NADRA.

ECP was considering installing these e-voting systems for overseas voters.

Postal ballots

One can vote through a postal ballot paper.

These have so far only been made available to government officials, those serving in the armed forces or the police posted away from their home constituencies and to prisoners. Last date to apply is April 25.

Stat attack

•  10 is the number of countries where the ECP said it will set up polling stations

•  4.5 million is the number of registered overseas Pakistani voters

•  3.9 million registered overseas Pakistani voters live in the Middle East

•  2.9 million registered overseas Pakistani voters live in Saudi Arabia and UAE alone

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2013.