The democratic system is the backbone of every country in the world. Like other developed countries, each Pakistani wants to develop his/her country through the proper democratic system. The Pakistani nation needs to fill awareness gap of vote casting. It was May 2013 when a capital chance was provided to the Pakistani nation to select an egalitarian, honest, intelligent and valorous leader, but they lost their chance by casting their vote blindly. The Pakistani nation did not lose only their chance, but they also faced significant difficulties concerning food, health, and education. In previous years, it has been reported, almost 25 million children were out of school, 22% of Pakistan’s population remained undernourished, and 8.1% children died before the age of five years because of malnutrition.

According to my observation, I found three significant problems behind the abrogated condition of Pakistan. Firstly, most of the people don’t know the power of the vote and the characteristics of the leader whom they should select; they blindly cast their vote due to the influence of feudalism and lack of education. It is our collective duty to mull over existing problems. Mainly, educated people must try to create awareness among local people and elucidate the power and value of the ballot paper and realise them the right stamp on right time can help the country to flourish.

Secondly, Government of Pakistan does not establish any voting system for Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRPs). The tremendous contribution of NRPs in the economic development is inevitable; State Bank of Pakistan reported that remittances in Pakistan averaged $2658.56 Million from 2002 until 2017. The Government of Pakistan should establish an online voting system for NRPs. As a Pakistani, they also have right to contribute politically for the betterment of Pakistan. And NRPs should strive through legal action to get their political right of voting.

Thirdly, the participation of women in the vote casting is very low. According to National Democratic Institute, in 2012 approximately 10 million women were eligible to vote who had not been registered. On the other hand, women are not satisfied by existing vote casting system because of the lack of discipline and facilities. They said that distant polling stations did not allow them to cast their vote. The government should also resolve this problem and make easy access to the polling stations by providing them suitable facilities.

In a nutshell, our country is not moving forward in the same way as other democratic countries do. The government of Pakistan should address these issues. And, I advise every Pakistani that election is coming, and we have a chance to change the course of history by electing an honest, dedicated, unbiased government who can lead the country to new horizons. Believe me; your vote can change the future of Pakistan. If we take care of ballot, the next five years will take care of you.

The writer is a researcher at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.