ISLAMABAD:
After the passage of the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments, there was speculation about the 28th Amendment. Of the ideas circulating, the one that has attracted the most attention and criticism is the suggestion to raise the voting age from 18 to 25.
This debate has raised concerns because it directly affects the democratic participation and political role of a predominantly young electorate.
The issue attracted widespread political attention after Farhatullah Babar, a senior PPP politician, publicly criticized the proposal.
In an X post, he wrote: “Why talk about raising the voting age to 25? The government must categorically reject it if it is indeed behind this. Raising the voting age to 25 seems directed against a particular political leader, rightly or wrongly considered popular with the youth.”
Speculation reached Kot Lakhpat jail, where senior PTI leaders – detained in connection with the May 9 violence cases, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and Omar Sarfaraz Cheema – wrote a letter publicly opposing the idea, speculating that “anonymous forces” were circulating it out of fear of youth political power.
As the debate gained momentum, Rana Sanaullah’s comment sparked fears that something might be in the works.
Interviewed on a private television channel, he said that although no official discussions were taking place, some believe that if a person cannot run for office before the age of 25, there is little reason for the voting age to remain at 18.
He added that the idea was being debated and if there was consensus it could happen.
The public discourse has gotten so out of hand that Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal publicly declared it baseless.
On Thursday, he posted a video on his X account clarifying the government’s position, saying that “no such legislation [is] under study.”
He added that although a political debate is emerging about raising the voting age, no formal bill has yet been tabled. He stressed: “We have confidence in our young people and we cannot even think of depriving them of the right to vote.”
Despite the government’s outright denial, the intensity of the debate has reignited questions about how Pakistan’s voting age was originally determined.
About 20 years ago, Pakistan took a different approach to voting rights. In 2002, President General Pervez Musharraf lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years by promulgating the Conduct of General Elections (Amendment) Ordinance, 2002.
The change was presented as part of broader electoral reforms aimed at increasing democratic participation by giving young people the right to vote. Since then, the voting age of 18 has remained unchanged and has become an integral part of Pakistan’s electoral system.
To fully understand the magnitude of this impact, it is helpful to look at demographic data that quantifies how many young people would be directly affected by such a change.
According to data from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) at the time of the 2024 general elections, the total number of voters was around 128.58 million, including 56.86 million young voters, aged between 18 and 35 years, accounting for 44.22 percent of the total electorate.
Among them, 24.66 million voters were aged 18 to 25. In light of these figures, it becomes clear that any proposed changes to the voting age would affect not just a minor segment, but a substantial portion of the electorate.
Based on this, the Free and Fair Elections Network (Fafen) analyzed public ECP data to provide deeper insight into electoral trends.
Fafen released detailed reports using ECP data from January 22, 2025 and December 30, 2025. It reports that the ECP added more than 3.3 million new voters in 2025, or about 9,113 new voters every day, based on district-level data.
The growing number of voters shows how the electorate is constantly changing, so any change in the voting age would have a big impact on current and future voters.
In this historical context, analysts believe that the debate is doomed to failure. Ahmad Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute for Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat), elaborated on this point in an interview with The Express PK Press Club.
He explained that “although Mr Ahsan Iqbal has strongly denied that such a proposal is under consideration, I believe the idea is doomed from the start. It would damage the government politically and further alienate the youth.”
Mehboob further explained, “Voters in higher age groups, except the 50 and above cohort, also voted in higher percentages for the PTI than for the PML-N and PPP. So if the idea was to deprive PTI of youth votes, it will not happen.
Adding the global context, he said: “This is contrary to the global trend, where there are plans to lower the voting age to 15.”
Fafen spokesperson and election expert Mudassir Rizvi echoed Ahsan Iqbal, saying it was more misinformation than merit.
Speaking to The Express PK Press Club, he said: “This is more speculation than debate. I would say this is a classic case of misinformation apparently intended to provoke over 20 million young men and women between the ages of 18 and 25.”
He welcomed the categorical denial by a senior federal minister and stressed the need to trace the origins of this misinformation rather than discussing the merit of a proposal which, if it exists, has no substance.
