ISLAMABAD, April 15: The Election Commission on Sunday announced that Pakistanis living abroad will be able to vote in the referendum.

The EC announced that polling stations would be set up at the embassies, missions, and consulates to enable the expatriate Pakistanis to cast their votes.

It would be the first time that overseas Pakistanis would be allowed to cast their votes and the commission has not so far extended this facility in general elections.

It was announced that the facility of postal ballot was available to the expatriates who lived at distant places in the foreign countries and the procedure had been intimated to the embassies through the foreign affairs ministry.

The application form has been published in the newspapers on April 14 and is available on the Election Commission website: www.ecp.gov.pk.

The EC announced that 91 district and sessions judges had been appointed with the approval of the respective chief justices to act as assistant returning officers in their districts.

In 16 districts, where district and sessions judges or additional sessions judges were not available, district coordination officers have been appointed the assistant returning officers.

In the tribal agencies, seven political agents have been appointed the assistant returning officers.

Manual of instructions for the additional returning officers, assistant returning officers, presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers was approved.

The Election Commission secretary was appointed as returning officer.

The provincial election commissioners were appointed additional returning officers.

The sites for the polling stations will be finalized by April 20 and their list will be published.

The appointment letters to the polling personnel will be issued by April 24.

Election Commission members Justice Mohammad Ashraf Leghari of Sindh High Court, Justice Nasim Sikandar of Lahore High Court, Justice Ahmed Khan Lashari of Balochistan High Court and Justice Qazi Ehsanullah Qureshi of Peshawar High Court attended the meeting.