I’d never voted in all my years that I lived in Pakistan and now that I’m an expat, I thought that burden of choosing which mosquito I liked more in the country’s political swarm was finally not mine to bear. (Excuse my French.)
I couldn’t have been wronger. (Yes, wronger. Hush now and pay attention.)
Turns out I have a right to vote, even as an expat, under Article 17 of the Constitution of Pakistan. This right isn’t waived by my expat status nor by my dual nationality. My opinion with regards to which political party is competent enough to rule still matters. So, regardless of who tells us, expats, to stay out and hold our tongues and not speak for the future of our motherland, we have the constitutional right to choose and be heard.
There are 8 million Pakistanis who live overseas. They contribute to the welfare of the state and citizens of Pakistan by providing financial support either by sending and spending money to and on their families living in Pakistan or through other foreign remittances such as donations to relief funds or political campaigns back home. In the eyes of the law, the Pakistanis living overseas and within Pakistan are equal citizens of the state, have equal rights, including the right to vote.
However, quite interestingly, there is no way the expats are able to invoke this voting right even if they wanted to. Why? Because there is no mechanism provided by the government of Pakistan, the ECP or any other responsible body to ensure that this vote back – 8 million expatriates – is tapped into simply because that’s the right thing to do, the constitutional thing to do.
To put it simply, if I wanted to vote for my party in Pakistan from where I lived outside Pakistan, there is no way for me to do so. Where is my voting booth? No Pakistani embassy has the facility to register my ballet. I can’t for sure fly all the way to Pakistan to vote. And that simply means, I can just sit back and watch the election results unfold without my say in it. Not very charming, especially when I’m the one writing checks to give relief to my people during every natural or manmade disaster, when I’m the one funding and raising funds for election campaigns, political parties, social causes and everything that I can help with in my power alongside my peers in Pakistan. But when it’s time to decide who shall lead the country, time to speak up for the future of the country, I’m the one who is cast aside – until more foreign funds are required.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to be dragged into this. In fact, I’d like a right to vote out candidates rather than vote them in, given the choices we have among our political set. But this isn’t about personal choice. This is about our collective right to have a say in the future of the country that we still claim as our own because:
- The constitution gives us that fundamental right.
- We still hold that green passport.
- We contribute to the economy whether it’s simply by shopping for Pakistani products over the internet or at our local Walmart or what have you.
- We haven’t given up our Pakistani citizenship and it is not something that can be taken away simply because we don’t live in the country anymore.
- The Supreme Court has issued orders for the government to facilitate us in invoking our voting right and it’s about time the orders were carried out.
PTI has come forth as a great advocate for this cause. It is leading this struggle from the front both in courts within Pakistan and also mobilizing the expat population by raising awareness of the issue. The party has had some victory to have the proper mechanism in place to recognize expat votes in KPK assemblies so far. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be done sooner for the expat vote to be included in the 2013 general elections. However, the work has just begun and as enthusiastic as the party seems to be about this, it isn’t going to stop until it’s completely taken care of. Hats off to young blood. And no, I’m not saying this because I’m politically charged to but simply because anyone talking about rights of Pakistani citizens, no matter where they might be, is worthy of praise.
I’ll quote one of my friends here just to shed some light on how passionate an overseas Pakistani can be about her right to have a say in deciding the future of her country. Ayesha is a physician from TN, USA and an integral part of the Pakistani community of her town. Her views on the subject, “I feel very strongly about voting rights for expats. I am a Pakistani citizen, send money to Pakistan, am impacted by and have strong opinions on Pakistani politics, why shouldn't my opinion count? It is our absolute right as a citizen of our country to have our opinion heard come election time. I will support anyone who supports this issue.”
There are, however, concerns. How will the system work? What about fake votes, the rigging and corruption? I’m pretty sure my vote is cast by some party or other since I have an NIC but I’m not there to claim my voting spot and nobody will ever cross check with me to see if I ever did vote or not. Then, there’s the issue of information on the candidates; how to decide if they’re competent? I mean to vote is to make an informed decision and not follow your herd blindly.
Sumbeela, another expat in USA, suggests that electronic voting may solve the problem of registration and rigging. Then, the expats may vote for a party rather than a candidate since it’s easier to understand what the party stands for. Seats can be allocated to that party based on the percentage of votes.
These are just suggestions but one can see the fervor in it all.
If you’re an expat or a Pakistani still residing in Pakistan and you feel just as passionately about this issue, take notice and be heard.