Ambassador Ali Jahangir urges overseas citizens to register votes for upcoming polls

WASHINGTON: Ambassador to the United States Ali Jahangir Siddiqui on Tuesday encouraged overseas citizens of Pakistan to register their vote in the upcoming by-elections.

He said, “It is important for overseas Pakistanis to take part in the by-polls.”

“Head to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) website and register there,” Ambassador Siddiqui urged.

Earlier on September 1, the ECP had begun voter registration of overseas Pakistanis from for the upcoming by-elections on seats vacated in the national and provincial assemblies.

The registration process will last until September 15.

The ECP had said that an awareness campaign would also be launched in this regard with the help of the Foreign Ministry, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and Pakistan’s embassies abroad.

Earlier on August 17, a bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, had directed the ECP to take necessary measures with the help of NADRA to ensure participation of the overseas Pakistanis in the by-elections.

The electoral body is to conduct by-elections on seats of the national and provincial assemblies which were vacated by political leaders who returned on more than one seats in the July 25 elections and constituencies where the polls couldn’t be held owing to some reasons.

Moreover, the ECP had issued the schedule for the by-elections according to which the voting for 37 seats – 11 of the National Assembly and 26 of the provincial assemblies – will be held on October 14.