ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan Spokesman Nadeem Qasim said on Friday that the overseas Pakistanis will be able to cast their votes through passports in the bypolls to be held on October 14.
The ECP issued a schedule for overseas Pakistani voters after the Supreme Court in its verdict allowed Pakistanis living abroad to vote in by-elections.
Speaking to media, ECP Spokesman Qasim said that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)will facilitate voters through its online system.
Qasim said that the NADRA has also issued a video for guiding overseas voters and the registration process will begin from September 1 and end until September 15.
He said that after the registration process, the polling lists will be given to the Returning Officers.
Qasim added that the impression that illiterate people cannot cast vote is wrong.
The report of the overseas voting will be presented before the parliament, said the ECP spokesman.
According to the rules, it is mandatory that the ECP is satisfied over the pilot project, he said.
In the verdict, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had remarked that overseas Pakistanis would be participating in the by-election through i-voting, a system that allows voters to cast ballots from any computer connected to the internet anywhere in the world.
On August 14, the ECP said pilot projects would be initiated for voting rights to overseas Pakistanis, which would not affect the results of by-elections.
According to the ECP, the bypolls will be held on National Assembly’s 11 and provincial assemblies’ 26 constituencies.
The ECP said the decision on the use of i-voting would be made after several tests and pilot projects would be initiated in a limited area instead of an entire constituency.
It said the IVTF was formed on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, adding that the task force comprises officials of NADRA and the ECP's Law and IT Wings.