631,909 overseas Pakistani voters registered for Oct by-polls, ECP claims

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday said that as many as 631,909 registered overseas Pakistani voters would be able to cast their vote in by-elections in 37 constituencies on October 14 through the i-voting system.

According to an ECP official, during the registration process that started on September 1, all overseas Pakistanis had been asked to register themselves as voters by the due date.

He said that the commission had also extended the date for registration of overseas Pakistanis from September 15 to September 17 for exercising their right of casting vote in by-elections. He said a letter had been written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs secretary to direct the Pakistani missions abroad to educate overseas Pakistanis regarding registration process and right of their vote in by-elections in their respective constituencies.

He said the ECP would deliver stipulated time voting passport to overseas Pakistanis to avail the opportunity of i-voting for casting their vote in by-elections being held in 37 constituencies on October 14.

The official added that the commission would generate voting passport system for registered overseas Pakistanis on October 14 and all eligible voters can cast their vote during Pakistan Standard Time (PST) from 8 am to 6 pm on the polling day.

He said that for eligibility of registration and casting votes, there was a requirement from overseas Pakistanis to have a machine-readable passport, National Identity Card (NIC) for Overseas Pakistanis and a valid email address.

He said that the overseas Pakistanis would be able to cast their vote by using their email through ECP’s special software.

He added that a specific website has been developed jointly by ECP and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for awareness and other aspects to encourage overseas Pakistanis to register for I-Voting with instructions in both English and Urdu.

He said I-Voting is a pilot project and after use of this system and the commission will compile and submit a report with the parliament for further legislation.