ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League has failed to evolve a mechanism to give the right to vote to over 7.7 million overseas Pakistanis, as promised in its manifesto.
With elections a few months away, no headway is expected to implement important planks of the ambitious action plan of political reforms.
For instance, the party’s manifesto’s initial section under the tag of political reforms says: “The voting right shall be extended to those Pakistanis who are living abroad.”
“There is no movement in this connection in the foreign ministry, the ruling PML or the election commission,” conceded the party sources while talking to The News here on Tuesday.
Though, various proposals have been under consideration in this connection in the past, no decision could be taken to realise the manifesto’s objective due to the very complicated process, as the majority of Pakistanis are scattered, the sources said.
PML Secretary-General and Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed once said that overseas Pakistanis significantly contributed to the national development by remitting valuable foreign exchange. Therefore, he said, they had a role to play in political process.
Senator Mushahid believed that their demand was genuine and the PML would take measures to meet it so that they take part in elections.
Several countries have in their constitutions a provision and they give parliamentary representation to their expatriate communities. India is the latest instance of extending the political right to its expatriates.
It is understood that the voting right for overseas Pakistanis would help them have their say in the legislative process, which one way or the other may affect them.
The bulk of Pakistanis, living in the Middle East, the United States and several European countries have been expressing their desire at different fora to be part of the electoral process and putting this demand before the government officials and political figures from time to time.
The PML manifesto also talks about parliament and the provincial assemblies taking policy decisions, but unfortunately there is a strong perception that these institutions are ignored while taking important decisions.
“Appropriate legislation shall be introduced for funding of political parties by companies, societies, public bodies or individuals,” says the manifesto, but no progress has been made on this count as well.
According to the manifesto, all expenditures of state for frivolous purposes shall be curtailed or done away with. However, the holding of Islamabad rally on May 12 is one example of how this portion of reforms is being implemented.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=64917
