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The presidential elections are taking place in Pakistan today, another major landmark for democracy after the successful general elections held in may and the peaceful transition of power to the new government.
There has been very hectic lobbying ahead of the presidential elections with Pakistan Muslim league nawaz putting forth the name of Mamnoon hussain and getting backing from around eight smaller political groups, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), National Party (NP), Qaumi Wattan Party (QWP), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z) and Balochistan chapter of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid.
The second candidate Justice (red) Wajihuddin ahmed was put forth by Pakistan Tehreek I Insaf and supported by its ally Jamaat E Islami. While it seems that as per current situation it is Mamnoon hussain that will win, we must realise that for the second time in recent history we are going to have a properly democratically elected president.
While many scoff at the process and call it a sham and make claims of irregularities during elections. We must understand that even despite irregularities and miscounts and re voting in some areas of Pakistan we have to move forward whilst putting the questions being asked to courts of law to decide upon them, as the system instructs us to do.
There are a multitude of issues facing us as a country, from power woes to an economic crunch to an ever increasing burden of the war we are fighting with the taliban. However the only way out of these issues if there is even a way out in the time period given to one government is the nexus of civilian and military leadership of which the president is the figurehead.
As always social media is going to be watching and making sure any of the cracks seamed over by the mainstream are explored to the fullest as they were during the general elections. We now have digitally enabled members of the national assembly from various parties feeding directly into the network as well. In short we are watching the watchers here.
So here is hoping then new president of Pakistan can provide us able leadership and take us forward with positive notes.

The views expressed by this guest blogger and the comments given by any visitor do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the pakvoter.

Ever since the world wide web came into being and governments around the world slowly but surely realized the adverse effects of communication on regimes which tend to sweep uncomfortable things under the carpet there have been efforts made to control the flow of information.
The problem however is that information and attempts to block it nowadays is like water hitting porous sand. As the mediums multiply daily and the flow of data becomes quicker and quicker with the gadgets we use spreading like rabbits around our lives it has become hireto impossible to ebb this flow no matter what any one tries. In the midst of all this we have our Pakistani government which although has provisions in its constitution (article 18) to protect electronic commerce but still maintains the need to try again and again to exert control over a medium which is proving to be a pain in its keister.
Is this agony due to the fact that there are bad guys roaming social networks like whatsapp and viber and plotting things that are against national security? I suppose some of it maybe but to think those same tech equipped bad guys would not be able to side step a ban via proxy is somewhat un intelligent to me. Also more dim witted seems the idea that bad guys exist in sindh only and thus this region must be the only one subjected to this proposed ban.
Frankly speaking Pakistan is to me a pretty overheated pressure cooker of emotion since quite some time. One can see it in incidents of road rage when we are pushed slightly in ramzan or around our daily lives as women when we walk down the street to raping stares. Social media seems to be the only place left where it is even slightly safe to engage in healthy discourse over issues which plague most of us at some point or the other in our lives. Taking away this medium would to me have the same effect as removing the steam valve from a pressure cooker. Do we want to know what would happen if our society implodes on itself in a fit of frustrated rage? Things would go out of control…the same control that our government or any government does not want to slip from its hands.
Without control there can exist no leadership, without leadership or law there is only anarchy. We have been teetering at the brink of this anarchy for quite some time now. If I was the government I would be taking all steps possible to de escalate the growing anger Pakistanis feel towards it not push them over the brink by banning their favourite means of communication. Specially in lieu of the fact that the past bans and attempts to block sms, facebook, twitter and youtube have not really resulted in a slew of terrorist arrests and trials.
“Those who give up their essential liberty for temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security.” – Benjamin Franklin

The views expressed by this guest blogger and the comments given by any visitor do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the pakvoter.

The election in 2013 will be remembered for couple of reasons in the history of Pakistan, one of which is the high turnout. The role played by Election Commission of Pakistan in this regard has to be applauded. It was ECP, under the leadership of Honorable Justice (R) Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim, which worked day and night to increase registered voters all across Pakistan. Figures show remarkable increase in registered voters as compared to the 2008 general elections i.e. an increase of 5,393,420 registered votes.

NADRA played a key role in supporting ECP for increasing registered voters. Among the various interventions, NADRA, in accordance with orders from Supreme Court of Pakistan, issued CNIC to the transgender community of Pakistan. Additional efforts were made by NADRA with support of UNWOMEN and ECP to increase women votes in 2013 elections. These efforts were fruitful and a total of 37,597,415 female votes were registered for 2013 election as compared to 48,592,387 male votes. It is estimated that even the women turnout was higher this time, keeping in view the overall 55% turnout. Although not many female candidates made it to assemblies as compared to 2008 elections, it is believed that women participation did increase manifold. While a lot has to be done to increase women participation, there is still more that is required, especially in terms of commutation to polling stations on election days, as due to lack of transport and other cultural and religious obligations women do not make it polling station to cast their vote.

NADRA also enrolled transgender community and issued them with CNICs. This move came after a Supreme Court ruling instructing both NADRA and ECP to acknowledge status of transgender community and their right to vote as citizens of Pakistan. NADRA figures show approx., 600 transgender male and female members were issued CNIC. This may not be true representation of transgender community in Pakistan, but a move towards right direction.

Use of technological advancement also played an important role in increasing number of votes for 2013 election. NADRA introduced SMS services keeping in view access of mobile phone services to a large population of Pakistan. This service enabled registered voters to locate their polling stations hence saving their efforts to physically go and verify. Moreover, on Election Day presiding officers were provided voter lists having pictures of registered voters. This proved to be very useful in verification of voters. Also, NADRA used fingerprint-screening system to verify votes in different districts after elections to verify valid votes.

We should also not forget the positive role played by all political parties despite threats from militants and terrorists in different high security risk areas of Pakistan. Several Pakistani men and women were killed and injured in bomb blasts and IED attacks on political party offices and rallies. It was heartening to see that all political parties despite clear threats continued their participation in electoral process and did not back off. Security forces despite limited resources ensured elections were carried out in a safe manner. Special security measures were put in place for polling stations on Election Day. Election staff along with security personnel ensured polling stations remained a safe place for voters. These special arrangements encouraged voters to come out and vote despite tense security situation in different parts of Pakistan. Voters were seen standing in long queues and waiting for their turn, hence showing their confidence in arrangements made by ECP and its partners for successful conduct of elections.

We yet have to see another important electoral process happening this year i.e. local government elections. As per constitution, ECP is responsible for conducting local government elections in collaboration with Provincial Governments. As we wait for final schedule to be announced by provincial governments, it is evident that this will be another milestone in Pakistan’s electoral history. We are hopeful that the process will be more streamlined and all lesson learnt during 11 May elections will be incorporated.

The views expressed by this guest blogger and the comments given by any visitor do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the pakvoter.

Ever since the war on terror began, Pakistan has been sufferring from the malaise of we cant do it. Its either we can’t meet our debts or we can’t combat these militants or we can’t fly a plane straight or we can’t take care of our own (floods 2010) The point being that negativity is at a full time high and the same mantra has been repeated again and again till is become ingrained in the back of all our minds.

So obviously when it was time for the elections this year the same old demons started rearing their heads. Initially it was hard enough getting all parties to agree on one leadership for the election commission but once Fakhruddin G Ebrahim was selected and put into place unity began to shine through the cracks of naysaying. Although the task in front of him seemed so monumental many doubted that the elections would ever take place.

Amidst desperate attempts by conspirators and talibans alike, with the background of bombs exploding and security on high alert the fact that we still managed to pull off Elections 2013 and with a 55% record turnout is nothing short of extraordinary.

Was it a perfect process though? Obviously not but what electoral process is perfect? There are gaps everywhere, some of those in the form of revoting in areas with ballot issues have already taken place and the rest are pending in the courts. By and large however all parties have accepted the mandate of the people and moved on. Why shouldn’t they? When the mandate itself seems to be completely at par with the national narrative at the moment.

For the future however the election commission needs to use more technology, even though the pictures of voters on forms this time next to names via NADRA was appreciable. Bio metric scanners need to be in place especially in districts where there is a history of electoral fraud to ensure further transparency in the electoral process. The media too needs to move beyond the drawing board scenario analysis and have exit polls which actually make any sense. Going on to announce who had won based on a 2% sample does not an exit poll make!

All being said and done, we have proven to ourselves that if there is political will a successful transition from one democracy to another is possible in this nation. Now we the people of Pakistan have to make sure that these transitions become a norm rather than a rare occurrence in the elections to come. For only through successful elections in the future can we be able to as a nation exercise our right of choice, so thank you ECP and please keep it up!

The views expressed by this guest blogger and the comments given by any visitor do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the pakvoter.

In the previous blog we discussed about the various resources available for education of Voters in Pakistan. Today we’ll talk about District committees and their role in voter education.

The Voter Education Plan 2012-2013 introduces a district centered approach, which endeavors to build a direct relationship between the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and voters through District Election Commissioners’ (DEC) offices and staff. A crucial component of this Plan is the formation of District Committees, which will be coordinated by DECs and supervised by Regional Election Commissioners (RECs). Now let’s take a closer look at how these committees work.

District Committees serve as a forum at the district level where two way dialogues can take place between DECs and multiple stakeholders including youth, women, minorities and the community members as a whole. This forum provides an opportunity to share views, plans and updates, as well as to design and implement joint Voter Education activities that target various voter groups.

The Voter Education plan that was chalked out prior to the 2013 general elections, the District Committee can include but does not have to be limited to regional election commissioner (chairperson), district election commissioner (coordinator), community development department or social welfare department, CSOs (including youth, women, minorities and people with disabilities), representatives of political parties, representatives of local government departments and representatives of the Education Department. In addition to the above, DECs may develop an extensive list of other stakeholders and potential partners in their respective region, who may be invited to join the Committee as members or occasional observers. They may include but are not limited to former and current local councilors; Union council secretaries, District coordination officers; school teachers and college/university lecturers, lady health workers (LHWs), religious leaders, community leaders, tribal leaders, landlords, trade union representatives, journalists and lawyers. In short, any member of the relevant local community can be eligible to be a part of the District Committee – even you!

Before forming the District Committee, DECs may organize introductory visits to these various stakeholders or invite them to meetings at the DEC offices to present the ECP Voter Education Plan and their intention of forming a Committee.

Now that you know what District Committees are, now let’s talk about what roles District Committees Perform? According to ECP voter education plan, the District Committee meets on a regular basis and seeks voluntary participation of various members of the community. They engage community based civil society organizations registered with the district Social Welfare Department to work on Voter Education, seek voluntary support to disseminate voter awareness materials and focus on reaching out to marginalized voter groups in the district, including women, people with disabilities and all minority groups. District Committee also seek the support of political parties in increasing voter participation by developing district specific strategies to increase awareness on the importance of the vote and its impact on the country’s institutions.

In the next elections in your district keep an eye for the formation of the District Committee and play your role in Voter Education!

For most voters the idea of voting is merely restricted to three primary items: a polling station, a ballot paper and a ballot box. This is especially true for first time voters, whose excitement to caste their vote is often more pronounced than their understanding of the many steps that ought to be considered before and after entering the inside of a polling station.

Much like most first-time voters, my first experience of casting my vote (which should have ideally taken under half an hour) became a three hour ordeal! This happened simply because I had convinced myself that knowing the election symbol of my candidate was all there was to voting – and boy was I wrong!

To help voters in general and young or first time voters in particular, this blogpost will discuss three important questions, i.e. “What is voter education?”, “Why is voter education important” and “What methods are available in Pakistan to facilitate anyone who wants to learn about it?”

Let’s start with answering the first question. Simply put voter education is any effort made by the Election Commission of Pakistan or public or private entity that aims to enhance the understanding of voters of electoral rolls, encourage them to check their details on the Final Electoral Rolls (FER) and supports in improving the voter turnout.

Voter Education is imperative for creating awareness amongst voters of all ages, belonging to all walks of life in order to increase their overall participation. Efforts geared towards Voter Education are often positioned to include the training of general masses, on several aspects of the elections – from campignig to casting the vote.

In the past, Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) efforts for Voter Education were mainly grounded in providing information through conventional print and electronic media, commencing shortly before electoral events and ending immediately thereafter. However, low voter turnout in previous elections highlighted the acute need for a different plan of action. Accordingly, in the recent General Elections held in 2013, we saw that ECP shifted strategy from merely disseminating Voter Information to developing more holistic Civic and Voter Education programs.

And this brings us to our third question, i.e. “What methods are available in Pakistan to facilitate anyone who wants to learn about it?” The ECP’s Voter Education Plan 2012-2013 revolves around a district centered approach, where staff at district offices become important actors responsible for implementing grassroots level voter education activities. Their aim is to directly reach out to all eligible voters, i.e. youth, women, people with disabilities, minorities and men. These groups are important because of their numbers and in most cases also because of their marginalized social status that often excludes them from exercising their right to Adult Franchise.

District Committees use a variety of means to approach and educate different categories of voters. These methods include, District Committee meetings held with community representatives, trainings for school, college and university staff; community voter awareness raising activities; Information Sessions at the offices of Provincial and District Election Commissioners; development and dissemination of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials; public service announcements and media engagement.

In our next blog we’ll discuss all the above mentioned methods, how individual voters can access these resources and benefit from them. Keep reading!