ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday criticised a proposal by a senior government minister to raise minimum voting age from 18 to 25 under a proposed constitutional amendment, calling it an attempt to restrict youth participation in elections.
PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram said remarks by Rana Sanaullah, the adviser to the prime minister on political affairs, who suggested aligning the voting age with the minimum age for contesting elections in the interests of “maturity”, were an effort to roll back democratic rights.
Akram said in a statement the proposal was inconsistent with existing laws that allow citizens aged 18 and above to vote, work and serve in the armed forces.
He argued there was no justification for excluding young adults from the electoral process while granting them other civic responsibilities.
He also pointed to international practice, noting that most democratic countries set the voting age at 18 and have maintained that standard for decades.
He said their party founder has consistently described the country’s youth as a key political force and urged their full participation in the democratic process.
Akram said the party would oppose any attempt to alter the age of suffrage, adding that adult franchise was a fundamental democratic right and should not be restricted.
The government has not formally presented the 28th Constitutional Amendment in parliament. Sanaullah made the comments during a televised interview in which he argued that raising the voting age could help ensure greater “maturity” among voters.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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