Overseas polling: Eight states allow Pakistanis to vote

The government is awaiting the agreement of UAE to allow overseas Pakistanis there to take part in the May 11 polls.

ISLAMABAD:

Several countries including Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Australia and the United States have accepted Pakistan’s request to allow its overseas citizens to cast a vote abroad in the upcoming elections, said a foreign ministry official.

“We have received concurrence from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Australia, Canada, UK and US in this regard,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry at his weekly briefing on Friday.

Chaudhry added that the government was awaiting the agreement of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to allow overseas Pakistanis there to take part in the May 11 polls.

There are about 5 million eligible Pakistani voters currently living in different countries. However, majority of them are residing in Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, US and Canada. “The Election Commission of Pakistan has identified nine countries where polling should be held,” said the spokesman.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has urged the election commission to make arrangements for the expatriates to cast their ballots in the upcoming polls while staying abroad. Apart from legislation, one of the hurdles was permission required from the host countries.

The spokesman said the foreign ministry would extend all possible facilitation for the conduct of polling for overseas Pakistanis as soon as a decision was taken by the government.

Brussels talks

Answering a question about the recent trilateral talks attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chaudhry said the meeting was a continuation of the high level contacts between the three countries aimed at achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Pilgrims to Iraq

The spokesman said the Iraqi government had presently stopped entry of Pakistani pilgrims in Iraq owing to elections and security reasons.

The Foreign Office had issued an advisory in this regard. “All intending Pakistani pilgrims are again advised to check with the Embassy of Iraq before departure even if they hold valid visas,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2013.