Voting right for expats: Supreme Court disposes of petitions

Three-judge bench directs ECP to facilitate overseas Pakistanis to vote.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court disposed of two petitions seeking voting rights for millions of Pakistani expatriates, observing that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should facilitate Pakistani Diaspora to vote on May 11.

In its short order, a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, observed that the commission should make all efforts to ensure the expatriate Pakistanis cast their votes.

Earlier during the proceedings, Attorney General for Pakistan Irfan Qadir informed the bench that he held a meeting with the chief election commissioner and all ECP members.

Qadir also informed the bench that the ECP unanimously agreed to accomplish the desired task, while requesting the Pakistan government to prepare requisite proposals for effecting the required legislation which may be made applicable to overseas Pakistanis after the upcoming elections.

“The ECP had also expressed its satisfaction with regard to the efforts made so far by various departments of the federal government in carrying out the necessary steps in extending cooperation to achieve the desired results in the shortest possible time thereby enabling the ECP to agree to the applicability of the aforesaid legislative proposals in the above terms,” he added.

Other departments, including NADRA, the Ministry of Oversees Pakistanis, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Finance had assured the bench that they were ready to accommodate the expatriates if directed by federal government and the ECP.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and an expatriate Pakistani Chaudhry Nasir Iqbal had moved petitions in the Supreme Court in 2011 seeking a direction for the government to ensure the oversees Pakistanis cast their votes in the 2013 elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2013.