Around 15m voters may be registered at permanent addresses

ISLAMABAD: In a controversial move, around 15 million voters enrolled in areas other than their addresses on computerized national identity cards (CNICs) will be shifted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to their permanent addresses, if they fail to decide where they want to be registered as voters by the deadline of Dec 31.

“A decision in principle has been taken to register all voters enrolled on a ‘third address’ on the permanent addresses mentioned on their CNICs after the expiry of the deadline”, a senior ECP official told Dawn on Saturday.

He said under Section 27 of the Elections Act, a person shall be deemed to be resident of an electoral area if his temporary or permanent address on their CNIC issued by the National Database and Registration Authority lies in the said electoral area.

Published in Dawn