Disposing of the matter, the Supreme Court observed on Monday that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should make all efforts to enable overseas Pakistanis to exercise their right to vote. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing the matter relating to the voting rights of overseas Pakistani.
At the outset of hearing, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Irfan Qadir submitted that the federation would be able to extend voting right to overseas Pakistanis during the next general elections instead of the forthcoming general elections. The bench had granted time to the AGP to consult with the relevant authorities to legislate in order to ensure voting rights to expatriate Pakistanis.
Qadir told the bench that in pursuance of the court orders, a meeting was held with the Chief Election Commissioner wherein all the ECP members committed to ensuring voting rights to overseas Pakistanis. However, he reiterated the federation's stance saying that the right to vote of overseas Pakistanis could not be exercised without a legislative cover which, he submitted, would be possible subsequent to the forthcoming elections. Later, the bench disposed of the matter with an observation that the ECP should make all possible efforts to ensure the voting rights to the Pakistanis abroad.