ISLAMABAD: Pakistani citizens residing abroad will not be able to vote in the upcoming general elections via the Internet after the country’s law minister, Azam Nazeer Tarar, ruled out the possibility following an in-camera meeting of the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms.
Last year in May, Pakistan’s National Assembly passed the Election Amendment Bill, 2022, to revoke the voting rights for overseas Pakistanis and prevent the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in general elections.
The development took place after the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan’s administration in a no-trust vote which had sanctioned the use of EVMs with the stated objective to make elections more transparent and inclusive.
The government maintained back then that the overseas Pakistanis were previous asset of the country and it did not want to snatch away their right to vote. However, it added that the election commission had opposed the use of EVMs since their potential of misuse and tampering was too high.
“Overseas Pakistanis willing to vote have the right to do so, but since the committee’s report and the Supreme Court’s report stated that Internet voting was not possible — pilot projects will not be allowed,” Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper quoted the law minister as saying after the parliamentary committee’s meeting.
Pakistani citizens working in other countries make major contributions to the country’s economy by sending remittances.
The country is scheduled to hold an electoral contest later this year after the current coalition administration finishes its tenure in August and gives way to a caretaker setup.
