As many as 11 million voters could not be verified in the electoral areas of their residence, while 20.4 million people are not registered on the electoral rolls being finalised by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the upcoming general election, Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) said in its assessment on Monday.
According to FAFEN, more than 20 million people of 18 years and above, with most of them being women, are not registered to vote, while over 80 percent of them are not even registered with the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA).
FAFEN says its projection is based on the basis of the estimated population as on July 1, made by the government in its Economic Survey 2011-2012. “Of the potential 20.4 million unregistered eligible voters, only 3.6 million hold computerised national identity cards, which was made a prerequisite for voter registration under legislative changes last year,” it said.
FAFEN urges the ECP to ensure follow-on door-to-door verification of voters be conducted with full diligence and accuracy before the finalisation of the electoral rolls to facilitate fair elections.
