Prime Minister Imran Khan says the right to vote will add to the meaning of Pakistani foreign countries

Prime Minister Imran Khan says the right to vote will add to the meaning of Pakistani foreign countries

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said Thursday that the voting rights for foreign Pakistanis granted by Wednesday's legislation would not only add to their meaning but also allow them to control the government with their voting rights.

In a democratic system, voters can control their government through their votes, the Prime Minister stressed.

He said with around nine-million foreign Pakistanis, governments would be forced to give them due consideration.

The Prime Minister said the legislation to use EVMs in elections was made possible as the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) made it easier to ensure elections with the latest technology.

Prime Minister Imran Khan recalled that the 2008 election commission and a judicial commission in 2015 also recommended the use of EVMs to ensure transparent elections.

The prime minister also mentioned the opposition the government encountered within utilities and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) when it tried to automate its work to create transparency.

He told the people present at the ceremony that the government would launch a track and trace system by next week which was made possible after huge efforts and would help ascertain actual figures of production. "Such a system would discourage tax evasion and keep a proper check on major businesses like cement, sugar and cigarettes," he said.

The Prime Minister said around 1.5 million votes were rejected in the last election that could have been saved through the use of EVMs. EVMs will also help eradicate the practice of fake voices, he added.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said the incumbent government has also called for an open vote in the Senate elections as a secret ballot involved a large sum of money.

He said that both the PPP and the PML-N opposed the move even though the PTI failed to benefit from the open vote.

Referring to the opposition's criticism of the legislation at a joint session of parliament, he said yesterday's drama was intended to prevent foreign Pakistanis from voting.

The Prime Minister said the PTI government had fulfilled its promise to give voting rights to foreigners and reiterated his government's determination to make their lives easier.

The Prime Minister recalled that the process of developing the portal for the digital verification of powers of attorney started after a foreign Pakistani from Greece raised the issue.

He previously said around 75,000 expatriates had to travel to Pakistan for the purpose and go through a cumbersome process.

The Prime Minister repeatedly praised Pakistani abroad for their contribution to the national economy with $ 30 billion in remittances.

The prime minister said the country would not have needed an International Monetary Fund (IMF) facility or credit if it had properly exploited the potential of foreign Pakistanis.

He said that Pakistani people abroad suffer losses due to corrupt systems and practices.

The Prime Minister said the Foreign Ministry had instructed embassies, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to support Pakistani workers who could also highlight their problem directly on the recently launched Foreign Ministers Portal Pakistan (FM Portal).