Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that his government is considering granting voting rights to Pakistanis living abroad. Gilani said the government was analyzing voting mechanisms devised by other countries for their nationals staying abroad. Gilani was talking to the former mayor of Rugby, UK, James Shera, a British national of Pakistani origin, who called on him at the Prime Minister's House on Saturday. The premier said he has directed the authorities to facilitate for overseas Pakistanis swift money transfer through banking channels at a lower cost. He also ordered a 50 percent cut in registration fee on their purchase of properties in Pakistan. Gilani said he is also seeking an effective mechanism under which overseas Pakistanis could get their properties vacated from tenants on a short notice of three months.
