ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday floated a new scheme for the representation of overseas Pakistanis in the parliament, saying that reserved seats should be allocated for the overseas Pakistanis in the National Assembly and Senate.
On the other hand, he was very clear in his stance that expatriates should come to the country to cast their vote during elections.
Giving the new idea through a press statement, he said by this way, the representatives of Pakistanis living abroad would be able to raise issues being faced by the expatriates in both houses of the parliament.
It is to mention here that the PTI government is in favour of allowing overseas Pakistanis to cast their vote via internet and postal balloting.
PML-N president says overseas Pakistanis should come to country to cast vote
Shehbaz Sharif, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, proposed to allocate five to seven seats in the National Assembly and two seats in the Senate for overseas Pakistanis.
He said the modalities and conditions of representation in these seats should be decided by all the political parties in the parliament. “The required legislation can be enacted by consensus of the political parties,” he said in an official statement which comes at a time when the government has constantly been pushing for electoral reforms, especially giving the right to vote to the expatriates and holding the next general elections through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
He said seats were allotted in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to represent overseas Pakistanis. “PML-N supports the right to vote for expats keeping in line with democratic thinking and principles,” he said.
Calling expatriates the pride of Pakistan, Shehbaz proposed that expatriates should come to the country at the time of elections and cast their votes according to the registration of their votes in the voters’ lists.
He said roughly 8 million Pakistanis living abroad are the country’s strength and contributing to the development of the homeland. “We value the unwavering love and efforts of Pakistanis living abroad,” he said and added, “We want an immediate, fair and just solution to all the problems being faced by the overseas community in Pakistan”. He said the PML-N respects expats’ right to vote. He said that PML-N would play its full role in giving the right to representation to the overseas Pakistanis in the government.