Losing rights: Recently mugged people may not be able to vote

The ECP has allowed people with expired CNICs to cast their votes.

KARACHI: If you have been mugged in the last fortnight or so, it’s not just your money and other valuables that you have lost - it is highly likely you have lost your right to vote also.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has allowed those with expired computerised national identity cards (CNICs) to have their say on May 11, but the hapless victims of street crimes have been left in a quandary. Several of them gathered at the NADRA office two days before the polls to find out if there was some documents that can allow them to vote today.

“Apparently the slip against which the CNIC is issued is admissible on the elections day,” said one of the young men gathered inside the NADRA office off Korangi Road. “Even if it’s not, I am not taking any chances. I cannot let 40 odd million decide the fate of the 200 million, this time around.”

While the NADRA staff at the centre was confident that the token would work at the polling station, the election commission said this is not the case.



The provincial director of the election commission, Najeeb Ahmed, told The Express Tribune that those people who lost their identity cards and have applied for new ones will not be allowed to cast their votes on the token issued by NADRA.

A local election commission official also said that the official policy is that only those with CNICs would be able to vote.

Nevertheless, the Malir district election commissioner, Navid Aziz, said that if the presiding officer has no objection then he may allow the voter to cast their vote on the basis of the slip.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2013.