Expat Pakistanis should have the right to contest election: PM

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Saturday that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) “believes that expatriate Pakistanis should not only have right to vote but they should also be made eligible for the parliament’s membership”.
He was talking to a delegation of London-based Pakistanis led by Chaudhry Javed Iqbal, who called on him at the PM’s House. While Ashraf supported the idea of allowing expatriate Pakistanis membership of the legislature, he said an amendment in the constitution was needed in this regard. However, he added that the PPP could not bring about the amendment because it did not have the required numerical strength in the parliament. He further said that the government was still striving to bring about a consensus to amend the constitution, and give expatriate Pakistanis the right to contest elections.
He said the PPP needed to convince its coalition partners who had shown reservations on amending the constitution. He said the overseas Pakistanis send their hard earned money to Pakistan because of love for their motherland. The PM said that remittances being sent by the expatriates were on the rise. “This is very helpful in stabilizing the economy,” he added. “We have braced many challenges in the last four and half years and are now completing our tenure and getting ready for the next elections,” he said.
Talking of inflation in the country, Ashraf said that increase in prices of oil in the international market was one of the main reasons of rising prices in the country. He said the PPP and its coalition partners were committed to a transparent, free and impartial election in the country. In this regard, he alluded to the consensual election of the chief election commissioner. He also expressed the hope that the remaining phases in the run-up to elections would be concluded amicably. He said that uncertainty was damaging for the country, and added that while taking decisions “we need to bear in mind its implications for stability in the country”.
He said that in past four and a half years, Pakistan had faced floods, terrorism and economic crunch because of slowing down global economy. “Yet, we have moved forward and have been able to make achievements like passage of 18th Amendment, granting more political autonomy to the provinces and transfer of resources to them.” The members of the delegation led by Chaudhry Javed Iqbal thanked the prime minister for sparing time to meet them and assured him of their cooperation.