The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday directed the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to register overseas Pakistanis in order to ensure that they are able to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming by-polls in the country expected to be held in October.

The directives were issued during a meeting of NADRA and ECP officials chaired by ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob.

Only those Pakistanis residing abroad with a machine readable passport (MRP) and a National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (Nicop) will be eligible for registration, the ECP said, adding that the registration process must be completed by Sept 15.

NADRA was also tasked to provide a demonstration of the i-voting software which was developed to facilitate overseas Pakistanis who wish to exercise their right to vote.

The Foreign Office and NADRA will run awareness campaigns with the help of embassies, the ECP.

There are on average 29,000 Pakistani voters overseas registered in each National Assembly constituency, according to NADRA Chairman Usman Mobin.