Journey of Fair Voting Rights for Overseas PK Voters
The struggle continues and needs your support!
This all started when I tried to vote in the Oct 2018 Internet Voting Pilot for Overseas Pakistani. ECP has placed very stringent and unfair requirements on overseas Pakistanis before they can vote. One of them being a Valid NICOP. My NICOP had just expired. Worth noting there is no such requirement for Resident Pakistanis to vote. You can watch about all the unfair rules against overseas Pakistanis here.
With that background, I started reflecting on how to improve overseas Pakistani voters participation in the election. After several discussions, I concluded the best way forward is for the official voting system to be accessible and user-friendly. Here is a series of events1 that followed
11-April-2021: I had heard President Alvi heads a committee on elections reforms/use of technology. I sent an email to President requesting involving Overseas Pakistanis when designing the system. To President’s credit, someone from one of his committee got in touch within a few hours. I shared my ideas and was advised it is early to provide input to system design as no such system is under construction yet.
I stayed in touch with the committee member and shared my concerns around extra restrictions imposed upon overseas Pakistanis. After several discussions, I was encouraged to list down all my concerns. Hence my paper was born.
24-April-2021: I published the first version of my paper, which lists 12 issues and their solutions facing Overseas Pakistani Voters.
Over some time, I was advised the paper has been shared with other committee members, ECP, Ministry of IT and ECP.
I kept waiting; however, I never heard back from ECP about my concerns.
02-June-2021: I got in touch with Dr Babar Awan [Advisor for the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs responsible for the Election Bill] and shared my concerns about discrimination against Overseas Voter. Dr Babar acknowledged the message.
9th June 2021: Spoke with Chairman of Standing Committee Parliamentary Affairs National Assembly, Mujahid Ali. Shared my concerns, he advised he would speak with Ali Muhammad Khan, state minister for the said ministry. However, I never heard back. I tried calling but could not get through.
10th June 2021: I called Dr Babar Awan as the National Assembly Committee had passed the bill in the Committee without the suggested amendments. After hearing what I was calling about, he advised he was busy in a meeting and hung up the call. The call lasted 24 seconds. Later the bill was passed in the National Assembly and sent to the Senate Standing Committee of Parliamentary Affairs.
I started reaching out to Senators who I felt could be sympathetic to the cause.
13-Jun-2021: I wrote a letter to Senator Sania Nishtar, a Senate Standing Committee Parliamentary Affairs member and shared my paper and a legislative checklist. She acknowledged the message.
13-Jun-2021 Similar letters were written to other Senators serving on the Committee, Senator Falak Naz and Dr Muhammad Farogh Naseem.
14-June-2021 to 27th June: Exchanged several messages with Senator Falak Naz on the topic. She committed she would take up the issue.
Following up with Senator Farogh Naseem’s Office, they advised that the Minister has discussed my paper and marked the file to Barrister Maleeka Bokhari, Secretary of Parliamentary Affairs. When I contacted Ms Maleeka’s office, I was advised they have no such correspondence and check back with the Minister’s Office. A little bit of usual sarkari ping pong there?
29-June-2021: Had the opportunity to present the paper to ex-General Secretary Mr Sarwar Bari. I also updated the paper with his input.
04-July-2021: Published this article “Are Elections Free and Fair for Overseas Pakistanis?”
10-July-2021: An online petition is launched with the support of fellow overseas Pakistanis to the members of the Senate Standing Committee. Hundred of Overseas Pakistanis signed the petition. Senator Taj Haider Chairman of the Senate Committee immediately replied and committed to putting the petition on record. Later the petition was made part of the Senate Committees record by the Chairman.
15-July-2021. Had the opportunity to present my paper to President PILDAT Ahmed Bilal Mehboob and his team. Upon his recommendation, I shared the paper further with the following.
17-July-2021: Shared the paper with Senate Standing Committee Parliamentary Affairs Chairman Taj Haider, immediately got a response with a time proposal for a meeting. Senator Sb was generous with his time, you can see my meeting with him below
18-Jul-2021: Shared paper with Parl Sec Maleeka Bokhari, Ministry of Law, requesting time to present the paper. Didn’t get a response. Followed up with her support staff on 03-Aug-2021, who confirmed the email has been shared with her.
25-July-2021: Shared paper with Election Commission Secretary, Chief Election Commission and requested time for a presentation. Didn’t get a response.
I kept following up on the Senate Committee proceeding, however, I felt the committee’s members were not focused on our issues.
06-Aug-2021: On the advice of a fellow overseas Pakistani, we launched another Petition, this time to Prime Minister IK & his Cabinet to look into this issue. Hundred of Overseas Pakistanis signed the petition.
Dr Babar Awan responded to our message, however, it didn’t address our concerns
After this, the bill lapsed in the Senate without our proposed amendments.
This leaves us with little choice, but to take Election Commission to Court for discriminatory rules against overseas Pakistanis.
A petition has been filed in Lahore High Court against Election Commission of Pakistan. Updates are found here:
This journey doesn’t finish here. You can also contribute to cause because Overseas Pakistanis can change Pakistan and Pakistani politics forever!
This list is perhaps a small fraction of events, I have not mentioned many interactions with people in offices of power who were not directly responsible for this legislation.