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Give us the voting rights, say Pak expatriates

DUBAI — Pakistani expatriates in the UAE are demanding inclusion in the electoral process.

The parliamentary elections in Pakistan, which were to be held today (January 8), had been extended to February 18 following the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party leader Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007.

With over 750,000 Pakistani nationals residing in the UAE alone, most expats feel their exclusion would deprive Pakistan of a major chunk of the votes.

The only occasion when overseas Pakistanis cast their votes was in the 2002 referendum when President Pervez Musharraf was seeking a five-year extension of his presidency.

However, representatives of the Pakistan government in the UAE say that overseas polling is a policy decision, which has to be taken by the government alone.

“We know that the poll date still remains shaky, but we want to be included in the system because we think that our vote will make a huge difference,” said Muhammed Akram, a sales executive.

“Recently, overseas nationals of countries like the Philippines and Australia had cast their ballots in their national polls. If some countries can make arrangements for overseas voting, then I think we make up a majority in several overseas countries, especially in the Gulf region,” said Anees Khan, a media executive.

“How the arrangements are made to organise the voting, should be decided by the government. But it’s imperative that overseas Pakistanis be a part of this process as we are a major voice of the country,” said Aftab Khan, a businessman.

“The Pakistan government considers us ‘revenue generators’ alone. Why are we not included in major decisions such as choosing our own government?” asked Rasheed Khan.