Right to franchise: ECP told to arrange for overseas Pakistanis’ vote

SC says poll body can seek help from ministries to enable expatriates also to vote.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Friday pushed the Election Commission of Pakistan to evolve a mechanism to facilitate over 4.4 million overseas Pakistanis in exercising their right to vote in the coming elections.

“There is no progress by ECP for compliance of an earlier order of the Supreme Court about finding a way to make Pakistanis abroad cast their votes. The ECP lawyer is directed to put up a compliance report on March 19 about the February 14, 2013 order of the Supreme Court,” noted a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in its order.

The bench – also comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed – added that the Commission could seek help from the ministry of overseas Pakistanis, National Database and Registration Authority and Overseas Pakistanis Foundation to enable Pakistanis living abroad to cast their votes.

The bench also directed Attorney General of Pakistan Irfan Qadir to consult the ministry of information technology to evolve a mechanism to ensure their votes are cast.



“All-out efforts should be made to ensure the fundamental right to cast vote is exercised by every Pakistani, including those living abroad,” CJ Chaudhry said.

Separately, the bench directed the ECP to furnish a report regarding steps taken to implement a court judgment about reformations and improvements to make the next elections free and fair.

Conducting a hearing on the implementation of its judgment in the Workers Watan Party case, the bench asked ECP to update it on the progress made by the next date of hearing on March 19.

CJ Chaudhry remarked that if the Commission wanted any amendment, it could ask the federal government to do so as AG Qadir had assured full support for the ECP.

Updating the bench on what amendments had been proposed, ECP lawyer Advocate Munir Paracha said the Commission wanted to introduce a law that enabled it to take disciplinary action against any of its staff found to be influencing or interrupting the election process.

Paracha maintained the ECP wanted to obtain powers to initiate disciplinary action against all staff requisitioned from other departments for conducting general elections, as earlier it could not initiate any action.

The chief justice observed that the ECP should promptly approach the government for any amendments to ensure transparent and fair elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2013.