ISLAMABAD: The US nationals living in Pakistan have started exercising their right of franchise for next week’s presidential election and it is likely that the process will be completed by today.
The new ambassador of the United States to Pakistan, Richard G Olson, who has been picked by incumbent President Barak Obama for the slot in Islamabad also cast his vote through the online facility. He arrived here last week.
According to an estimate, about two thousand US national voters are currently present in Pakistan including 749 diplomats posted in Islamabad mission and US diplomatic facilities in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.
About one thousand voters living in Pakistan already cast their vote by late last evening and they have consigned the same back to their respective states through a secret system.
The US Embassy and consulates are contemplating to display the results on huge screens through special arrangements in their respective compounds where special guests would be invited to watch the elections results.
Strict and special security arrangements would be in place on the day in and around the US facilities.
Well-placed diplomatic sources said yesterday that US diplomats are maintaining secrecy while casting their vote because they religiously believe that no one should come to know about their political loyalties.
Pakistan is among non-family diplomatic stations for US diplomats and for the reason no diplomat has his or her spouse with him or her here. Even non-diplomat nationals working in various other capacities don’t take their spouse into confidence about their vote.
It is done for the respect of democratic norms and traditionally it happens in US society where family members are most of the time seen to be having divergent approach towards parties.
The informal survey suggests that US citizens living in Pakistan are mostly supporting the Republican contender, Mitt Romney, while the supporters of Barack Obama are also enthusiastic to see the Democrat remain in the White House.
The exact number of votes secured by candidates from Pakistan couldn’t be ascertained but the trend shows that Romney has an edge over
Obama among the voters in Pakistan.
US spokesperson Rian Harris wasn’t available for comments over the casting of votes by US diplomats in Pakistan and arrangements for displaying the results in US missions.
Internews
