Ballots from abroad

Some years after the Supreme Court asked the government to ensure that overseas Pakistanis are allowed to vote in elections, a Senate panel working on electoral reforms has also backed this proposal. Balloting by post is fairly common around the world and there is no reason why Pakistan cannot go down this road if the logistics and technicalities involved are sorted out. We, however, appear to have run into a roadblock. The panel says it has not heard back from the Prime Minister’s office to which it had written regarding the matter. Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, speaking in his own capacity, has said he does not believe it would be feasible to arrange voting for overseas Pakistanis, as candidates would not be able to campaign in other countries due to the costs involved and the difficulty in targeting a widely spread out Pakistani diaspora. The election commission has pointed out that many Pakistanis living in Middle Eastern countries will be barred from voting anyway because of laws prohibiting democratic activities in these states.

The obstacles that have been cited are not insurmountable and one cannot help but feel that there are political complexities involved, which is leading to such reservations being expressed. Imran Khan has already said that overseas Pakistanis must be permitted a ballot in upcoming local government elections in Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh. The PTI has also long called for the right to vote for overseas Pakistanis in general elections, given that the party enjoys significant support within this segment. The reluctance on the part of certain government quarters, therefore, can be seen in this light. The government, however, must remember that overseas Pakistanis play an important role in bolstering the economy through remittances and other contributions. Rather than citing problems, it should be engaged in an effort to make it possible for them to take part in elections. Countries which prohibit democratic activities must be persuaded to permit this basic constitutional right to Pakistanis. Others, of course, live in democratic countries and can easily take part in polling, playing a role in national affairs.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th,  2015.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.