SC allows petitions on voting rights for overseas Pakistanis

Three-member bench headed by CJP will commence hearing on sixteen petitions on January 10

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday accepted petitions on voting rights for overseas Pakistanis, reported Express News. The bench will commence hearing on the 16 petitons on Thursday, January 10.

According to Express News, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar has formed a bench to hear the petitions. The three-member bench headed by the CJP comprises of Justice Mashir Alam and Justice Sajid Ali.



The voting rights of overseas Pakistanis is a highly debated issue. In March 2017 a parliamentary panel submitted its report to the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms with a detailed procedure to ensure that over seven million Pakistanis living abroad get the right of franchise for the first time.

The mechanism was proposed by a sub-committee headed by PTI MNA Dr Arif Alvi. It was devised into two components – registration of overseas Pakistanis as voters, and the procedure of casting vote through a computer or a smartphone.