Pakistanis with Dual Nationality should never have a right to vote. Anyone in the country who does not face the consequence of their vote shall not have the right to vote. Nobody should be in a position to choose a government that they themselves are not under. More recently, PTI’s defected Minister has submitted a Bill to oppose Candidature for overseas Pakistanis. A turncoat MNA Noor Alam Khan has tabled a resolution to stop overseas from voting. All overseas Pakistanis will have to cancel one passport before December 31st, 2022. Once you surrender your Pakistani Citizenship you are no more entitled to vote. To be very frank, Non-Resident Indians (NRI) also don’t have the right to vote.
Overseas Pakistanis are More Patriotic
Just to “educate” that how much remittances play a crucial role in Pakistan’s economy. Overseas Pakistanis have a unique entitlement of being Pakistani by heart. They gauge their patriotism with charities and alms-giving sent to Pakistan because of their Guilty Conscience. Overseas Pakistani remitted $145 Billion Dollars in the last 5 Years; whereas just for the last year the loans sought from IMF were $4.5 Billion Dollars vs. foreign remittances:
- Saudi Arabia – $10 Billion Dollars
- China – $4.2 Billion Dollars
- USA – $800 Million
Overseas Pakistanis send Remittance only to their own families. Being overseas and away, they tend to overcompensate. Both religiously and in terms of nationalism. They tend to over-emphasize how many Muslims and Pakistanis they are. It’s fairly common in most immigrant populations. No one sends Remittance in the love of the nation; they send it to uplift the financial status of their families. Their families live in this country and have all the voting rights already. You are only feeding your own families, you’re not sending the state money through the state bank but to private accounts tied to your family. Hence your family can vote since they’re being fed. Remittances account for less than 9% of our GDP, that is peanuts but enough to keep your family warm.
The taxpayer shall get the right
Overseas Pakistanis take a high-moral ethical ground to be the economy revolver. But then they can also influence people back home. OSP investment will cause foreign intervention. Same as the dubious status of Hussain Haqqani is the status of any tom, dick, and harry from abroad who can influence their families back home and entice them to vote for Imran Khan for his looks. By this logic, the US, UK, IMF, World Bank, and China should also have a say as they give us loans and aid. Also, Overseas Pakistanis with Third or Fourth generation have literally little to no interest. Otherwise, by this standard, election contesting should also be allowed. With the advent of overseas Pakistanis, the threat of polarization abroad will cause further division in the Pakistani nation. There are so many political wings already. Things will get messy.
Overseas Pakistanis are divided into three broad categories: Pakistani Passport Holders, Non-Pakistani Passport Holders, and illegal migrants that commit illegal border crossing (Vessel/dunky) or those who overstay (tearing away Passports even). NICOP is not the requirement to vote. But Pakistani Passport is mandatory. There is a Dual Passport in Europe, the US, and North America. Almost 95% of people in Europe do not qualify. for vote. So there are two things. Firstly, does the constitution allow for them to vote? Secondly, should they be allowed to vote?
Constitution/law says anybody with a Pakistani passport can vote and no other conditions currently. Anyone with Pakistani citizenship can vote in elections without any problem. In front of the law, they are completely equal citizens with equal rights to vote as any other citizen. The only difference is that OSPs can’t vote since they have to go back to the country to do so, which is obviously not very feasible for many. Some other countries have different conditions for overseas citizens to vote we don’t currently.
We’re not discussing the law, we are discussing the principle. I feel it is not an overseas Pakistani’s place to have any influence in a country that they don’t even live in runs itself. Whatever the reason, their parents or themselves ultimately chose not to reside in Pakistan. The blind spot person who is not aware of local circumstances in Pakistan or the ground reality why should they have any say in how the country is governed? As far as should they be allowed, I think anyone living outside Pakistan who doesn’t have any other passport should be allowed to vote.
I say this because let’s suppose you become a UK National, so with your loyalties and allegiance to the Queen, you surrender your Pakistani nationality and agree to take weapons even against Pakistan. Imagine the rogue Hussain Haqqani who was close to the Obama administration meddling in Pakistani State Affairs.
The case of Australian emigrants from Pakistan
Australian High Commission Pakistan conveyed a message for Pakistanis who live in Australia and were visiting Pakistan, for voting in the Australian federal election, the Pakistan embassy is unable to offer in-person or postal voting for the 2022 Federal Election. For voters unable to travel to other locations to vote, HCP recommends eligible voters in Pakistan submit an Overseas notification form to the AEC as soon as possible.
The Case Study of Canada and The USA
Many countries like Canada and the US allow their citizens to vote in their elections even if they aren’t in their respective countries. Canadian Citizens living in Pakistan can vote for making a Government in Canada. Canadian Law for overseas C-76 says that Canadian Expats may cast their vote. But it can be argued that for them, it’s maybe only a few thousand people who have a barebones effect on the voting process so it doesn’t raise eyebrows while countries like Pakistan have a larger diaspora who could have a tangible effect on the elections if they all voted.
Overseas Pakistanis in Europe and the Americas who favor PTI are primarily biased as they think people here are illiterate and they have an entitlement of being superior under the colonial mindset they possess. Perception is made that majority of them overseas are voters of PTI. In fact, more people live in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the Gulf States.
Kingdoms and Gulf Estates
The majority of OSPs aren’t in first-world countries like US or UK but instead in the Gulf states, which offer no citizenship, meaning they will 100% return back to Pakistan.
They are only there on work visas with the objective of earning money and sending it back to Pakistan. Elections and policies will 100% affect these OSPs greatly unlike the ones in the developed world who are affected little because they have dual citizenships.
