Voting rights to overseas Pakistanis: Imran Khan moves SC against amendments in election laws

ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan Monday approached the Supreme Court against the amendments in election laws revoking voting rights of overseas Pakistanis through internet voting.

On June 9, Parliament's joint session passed the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2022 — depriving overseas Pakistanis of voting rights through i-voting, abolishing the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs), and making changes to NAB chairman’s appointment procedures.

The PTI had already challenged the amendments made to the NAB laws and today, it has sought the apex court’s intervention to reverse the amendments made to the election laws.

Khan, filing the petition through his lawyers, has made the federal government, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) parties in the case.

The PTI chairman prayed to the court for declaring the amendments “unconstitutional, ultra vires and void, ab initio and to strike down the same”.

He asked the court to declare that section 94(1) of the Elections Act, 2017 as inserted by the Elections (Amendment) Act, 2021, is the existing law, and that all institutions, especially ECP and NADRA, are bound to act in accordance with it.

“Direct the ECP and all relevant authorities to take necessary steps to give effect to the right of overseas Pakistanis to vote in all future elections, especially the upcoming general elections from their country of residence,” reads the petition.

In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, he asked the court to direct the ECP to grant the necessary approvals and funds to NADRA for developing the new I-Voting System so it can be used in the next general elections.

“Grant a continuing mandamus and supervise the process of putting in place a system for ensuring that overseas Pakistanis are able to cast their votes in all future elections, especially the upcoming general elections, from their country of residence,” he prayed to the court.