ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday granted registration to seven political parties whose documents were found to be in conformity with the provisions of the Political Parties Order 2002.
As per a press release, these parties are: Pakistan Muslim League-Humkhiyal (Likeminded), Pakistan Justice Party, Pakistan Muhammadi Party, Public Forum, Pakistan Falah Party, Pakistan Hizbullah Party and All Pakistan Peoples Qaumi Movement.
In a high-level meeting at the ECP, a bill suggesting re-polling at the polling stations where less than 10 percent of the women votes are polled was approved unanimously by the commission, to be sent to the law ministry for forwarding it to the parliament for legislation.
The issue of granting right of vote to the overseas Pakistanis was deliberated and it was decided that the matter will be taken up in the political parties consultative meeting scheduled today (Thursday), the press release added.
Sources said that during Wednesday’s meeting, most of the commission members were of the view that granting more than 4 million overseas Pakistanis to exercise their right to vote from their country of residence was almost impossible in the upcoming elections.
The participants of the meeting noted legal hurdles and the unavailability of an adequate voting mechanism for such a huge number of Pakistanis spread across 106 countries around the world. They noted that making arrangements for providing voting facilities to so many people dispersed across the globe would be an impossible task in such a short time as general elections were not far away.
The issue was however not been dismissed, as was stated in some premature media reports; rather it has been postponed. Earlier, State Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Nadeem Ehsan had said that voting rights to overseas Pakistanis would be granted soon.