IHC dismisses PTI plea against expats’ voting procedure

The Islamabad High Court on Monday dismissed the petition against constitutional amendment on voting procedure for overseas Pakistanis, saying that parliamentary legislation could not be repealed on mere assumptions as the new law preserved the right of expatriates to vote.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the petition of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Dawood Ghaznavi against the amendment in electoral laws made by the incumbent government.

During the hearing, the petitioner's lawyer said that the right of other Pakistanis to vote was recognised but not given. “Overseas Pakistanis will not be given the right to vote till the Day of Judgment.”

The lawyer said, “Parliament maliciously reduced the issue of overseas Pakistanis' vote to zero again.”
The chief justice expressed anger over the stance adopted by the lawyer, saying that the legislation of parliament could not be called “malicious”.

After hearing the arguments of the lawyer, the court dismissed the petition as inadmissible, saying that it was hoped that the Election Commission would fulfil its constitutional obligation.

“The court cannot direct parliament to legislate,” the chief justice said, adding that it was hoped that the Election Commission would take necessary steps for providing right to vote to Pakistani expats.

“This is a very complex issue. The security and secrecy of the vote is very important.”