DUBAI: Pakistani expatriates in the UAE have claimed that the government is responsible for not organizing voting rights for them.
“It’s more of management issue. Due to the registration process, constituency and other processing issues, the Senate and National Assembly weren’t able to complete the process,” said Muhammad Ahmed Shaikhani, president of the Pakistan Business Council. “Due to technical reasons and logistic challenges, such as implementation of a biometric system and technology equipment supplies, it was delayed and unfortunately we lost the opportunity.”
Muhammad Ahmed Shaikhani
Shaikhani said that the national assembly should have special seats for expatriates.
“More or less 8 million Pakistanis live abroad and they are a major contributor to the Pakistani economy. We need a voice in Pakistan that understand our problems and needs. In fact, the National Assembly and provisional assemble must have special seats for expat Pakistanis,” said Shaikhani, who is also a member of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation.
He said that losing expatriate votes is a state loss. “Pakistani expats are intellectually more experienced than the local population. We are more educated and have a vast experience in different fields and knowledge with the international community.”
Syed Naqvi, a geologist who has lived in the UAE for more than ten years, also believes that missing expatriate votes is a loss for the country. “Living abroad, the expat community has a broader picture of Pakistan and the region’s geopolitical situation. Most of them can vote for the person of their choice without any pressure, unlike back at home where people are under pressure from the big lords in the villages and party workers in the cities. In addition, many expats settled in North America and Europe are educated and aware of the benefits of true democracy, and keeping them away from the voting process is a big loss of nation.”
Ayesha Imtiaz is planning to visit Pakistan and cast her vote. “Voting is our right and it should not be taken away from us. I am not going to miss it at any cost. I am flying to Pakistan to vote Insha Allah.”
However, there will be few like Ayesha who can visit the country during the election. Most of them will miss the elections. “It is the lack of political will, due to which our embassies have not been able to execute the process. I feel sorry and disappointed that they are not capable of providing voting rights to the large expat community of Pakistanis based in the UAE.”
“By voting, expats also contribute to their country’s democratic progress. The country needs a change for better and that is only possible if we all vote,” said Ayesha, who has lived in Dubai for the past 15 years.
Mahmood Mossa, who is the finance director of a multinational company in Dubai, is also going to miss the election and will not be able to cast a vote. “It is because of both lack of management and lack of interest by institutions in Pakistan that do not want the expat community to voice their concern. They always cite the reason as shortage of time. However everyone knows that the election is held every five years, so why not plan for it in advance?”
“Voting is the basic fundamental right in a democratic country. We vote so that we can put the future of our country in the right hands. Unfortunately we as Pakistanis don’t understand the importance of the vote. As in the past because of low literacy levels we have been selling our future. But enough is enough and we cannot let those so-called leaders come to power again and destroy our beautiful motherland.”
