ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has revived its demand to ensure that overseas Pakistanis must have the right to vote, particularly in the upcoming local bodies elections in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), followed by similar polls in Punjab and Sindh.

Addressing a press conference at the PTI’s central office on Friday, PTI MNA Dr Arif Alvi said that despite a commitment from all major political parties to give the right of vote to Pakistanis living in foreign lands, no concrete steps had been taken to ensure this so far.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Alvi said that even the Supreme Court, back in 2012, had directed the executive to take necessary measures to provide voting rights to Pakistan expatriates, but to no avail.

Dr Alvi, who also represents his party in the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms, said the committee’s hands are tied in the face of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and National Database and Registration Authority’s (Nadra) unwillingness to do the necessary homework.

When asked what the way forward should be, Dr Alvi said, “Unless government of the day makes up its mind, ECP and Nadra will keep coming up with different pretexts to keep overseas Pakistanis disenfranchised.”

Dr Alvi said he had filed a PTI revives demand of voting rights for overseas Pakistanis petition before the Islamabad High Court on Friday, seeking clear-cut directions for the federal government to ensure that the millions of Pakistanis living abroad can take part in the electoral exercise.

He said that ECP told the electoral reforms committee that electronic voting was not possible and Nadra said it lacked the ability to handle the biometrics of such a large number of voters at one time, which he dismissed as being “frivolous arguments”.

ECP, in particular, maintains that it can neither hold physical elections in other countries due to logistical issues, nor are postal ballots feasible.

“If millions of banking transactions can be conducted over the phone or though biometric-based online systems, why can’t we have the same technology in place for voting?”

India has had e-voting machines for decades, but both ECP and Nadra, instead of looking towards the positives of the Indian experience, always presented reports highlighting the flaws of such machines, said Dr Alvi.

Moreover, Dr Alvi recalled, Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Mohammad Raza had announced earlier this year that the necessary tools must be put in place to make voting possible for overseas Pakistanis, but to this day, nothing has been done on the ground.

Dr Alvi said that with the support of his party, he would keep pushing the issue at all forums so that Pakistani expatriates, who played a key role in strengthening the national economy through their remittances, can also become part of the electoral exercise in their country.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2015

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