The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday directed the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to register overseas Pakistanis, enabling them to vote in the upcoming by-polls in the country.
The directives were issued during a meeting chaired by ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob. The meeting was also attended by NADRA officials.
A notification issued after the meeting stated that the registration process of overseas Pakistanis must be completed by September 15.
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.
The Foreign Office and NADRA will run awareness campaigns with the help of embassies, the ECP added.
On August 17, the Supreme Court allowed Pakistanis living abroad to vote in by-elections.
The chief justice directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to make foolproof arrangements to enable overseas Pakistanis to cast their votes in the by-polls. CJP Nisar remarked that overseas Pakistanis would be participating in the by-election through i-voting, a system that allows voters to cast ballots from any computer connected to the internet anywhere in the world.
Published in Daily Times, August 21st 2018.
