CJP asks whether parliament will give voting rights to overseas Pakistanis
SC rejected PTI's petition to become party in case regarding right to vote for overseas Pakistanis
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Mian Sadiq Nisar expressed concerns on whether the parliament will give voting rights to the overseas Pakistan.
While hearing the case regarding the question of right to vote for overseas Pakistanis, Justice Nisar asked whether it is the job of the Supreme Court to give the right to vote to the Pakistanis in overseas countries.
He questioned the lack of implementation of Section 94 in the elections act that directs the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct pilot project in the by-elections for allowing overseas Pakistanis to exercise their voting rights.
Meanwhile, the apex court rejected the petition submitted by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to become party in overseas voters case. The three-member bench including CJP gave option to PTI to file separate petition on the matter of voting rights for overseas citizens.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan asked PTI whether it played any role in the parliament to raise the issue. PTI s counsel Anwar Mansoor Khan replied that the Elections Act 2017 tells ECP to create feasibility of overseas voting through by-elections.
