Re: Kaptaan tum jeeto ya haro…
UAE PAKISTANIS TRAVEL TO VOTE
Recently an increasing number of Pakistanis have been travelling to cast their votes before polls close on May 11.
Businessman Syed Muhammad Mudassir said: “Casting my vote is a patriotic duty. This is the first time an election has been held when I have been old enough to vote. I want to do my bit to bring change in my country.”
He added that after years of corrupt government and process, it was important to ‘put in the extra effort to break the political status quo and bring about a new face, force, policies, and era in Pakistani politics’. This, he said was necessary to ensure fairness in the election process.
Diplomatic Consultant Mobisher Rabbani served as an election observer for the ECP during the last elections in 2008.
He said: “I went to Pakistan this time, for the purpose of casting my vote, to have my say and do my national duty of electing the best possible people who will govern Pakistan.”
But he said he would not be voting on a party basis, but instead on his assessment of individual achievements of candidates.
He added, “I expect more public participation in this election and whatever the results, democracy will be strengthened.”
Muhammad Osman, owner of a UAE-based digital marketing agency, has returned to the Emirates after casting his vote accompanied by eight of his friends, despite the recent politically motivated attacks by the Taliban.
According to Osman, “Terrorism is a major concern right now. Much of that is due to the fact that the leaders are uneducated, corrupt, and lack the basic idea of addressing immediate needs of the society such as power, education, and security.”
Osman and his friends participated in election rallies across Punjab conducted by Imran Khan’s party PTI and described the experience as ‘phenomenal’.
The citizens of Pakistan are desperate for change and this has been reflected by the massive political rallies being held across the country.
According to Osman, “You can see the trust that people have in Imran Khan right now. They come out in large numbers (even in remote villages) on a working day to listen to his speech.”
Dubai-based doctor Fawad Khan also travelled to Pakistan with the hopes of a free and fair election and has cast his vote for Imran Khan’s party PTI, because he believes that they “have a comprehensive solution to critical issues like education, health, corruption and security in Pakistan.”
These elections have not been without their own controversy, most recently Imran Khan was injured when he fell from a makeshift lift, campaign offices have been bombed and there have been a number claims of bribery against political groups.
Yet despite all this, the commission and the interim government remain confident that the outcome of the general election will be announced on May 11.
Yahoo! News:
