ISLAMABAD: National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Saturday made it clear that all 4.8 million voters not verified during the Election Commission of Pakistan’s door-to-door verification drive held a valid and verified identity.
It was learnt that 69 members of parliament and six judges of the Supreme Court were among these otherwise not verified voters, and this did not means at all that they were not genuine voters but they could not get themselves verified due to one reason or the other during the ECP door-to-door exercise.
However, a senior official at the Election Commission Secretariat hoped that these voters would fulfil their national responsibility on the voting day.
Talking to The News, Nadra Chairman Muhammad Tariq Malik pointed out that those who could not be verified during the ECP exercise were genuine voters, having a valid identity. He noted that they had verified these voters through their own means.
He explained that of these voters, 1,001,340 had bank account, 680,826 had machine readable passport (MRP) and 438,468 persons had travelled abroad and returned to Pakistan.
Tariq Malik said 321,907 such voters were BISP/Baitul Mal beneficiaries, drawing benefit from the government while 148,761 were beneficiaries of the flood relief.
Moreover, 168,799 such voters were taxpayers and 158,882 were government, semi-government employees or part of the armed forces (employees), whereas 3,565 of them had obtained armed licence.
He contended that the authority had related data of the voters (sons, daughters, parents and even information regarding their marriages etc), projected in the media as unverified and even fake voters. He added the data collected proved that all these 4.8 million voters were genuine and were expected to cast their vote in the general election.
The Nadra chairman noted that 209,488 had checked their voter entry through the “8300” facility provided by the ECP.
He revealed that even six prominent private television channel anchorpersons, who often gave lectures about fulfilment of responsibilities by all the citizens of Pakistan, also did not bother to cooperate with the ECP employees during the door-to-door campaign.
It was learnt that 69 members of parliament and six judges of the Supreme Court were among these otherwise not verified voters, and this did not means at all that they were not genuine voters but they could not get themselves verified due to one reason or the other during the ECP door-to-door exercise.
However, a senior official at the Election Commission Secretariat hoped that these voters would fulfil their national responsibility on the voting day.
Talking to The News, Nadra Chairman Muhammad Tariq Malik pointed out that those who could not be verified during the ECP exercise were genuine voters, having a valid identity. He noted that they had verified these voters through their own means.
He explained that of these voters, 1,001,340 had bank account, 680,826 had machine readable passport (MRP) and 438,468 persons had travelled abroad and returned to Pakistan.
Tariq Malik said 321,907 such voters were BISP/Baitul Mal beneficiaries, drawing benefit from the government while 148,761 were beneficiaries of the flood relief.
Moreover, 168,799 such voters were taxpayers and 158,882 were government, semi-government employees or part of the armed forces (employees), whereas 3,565 of them had obtained armed licence.
He contended that the authority had related data of the voters (sons, daughters, parents and even information regarding their marriages etc), projected in the media as unverified and even fake voters. He added the data collected proved that all these 4.8 million voters were genuine and were expected to cast their vote in the general election.
The Nadra chairman noted that 209,488 had checked their voter entry through the “8300” facility provided by the ECP.
He revealed that even six prominent private television channel anchorpersons, who often gave lectures about fulfilment of responsibilities by all the citizens of Pakistan, also did not bother to cooperate with the ECP employees during the door-to-door campaign.