ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Justice Ejazul Hassan has said that it is not right to remove the right to vote of overseas Pakistanis based on the concerns of the Election Commission.
The two member bench, headed by Justice Ejazul Hassan, heard the petition of former interior minister and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed against revoking the voting rights of overseas Pakistanis.
On this occasion, the petitioner Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed also appeared in the Supreme Court, during the hearing, his lawyer argued that apparently the Election Commission’s concerns were based on the right of overseas Pakistanis to vote.
Justice Ijazul Hassan remarked that one billion dollars are being demanded from financial institutions and friendly countries, overseas Pakistanis send 30 billion dollars annually to which they were told that you cannot vote, if you want to vote, come to Pakistan with a ticket.
Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi said that overseas Pakistanis send 30 billion dollars without any conditions.
On the arguments of the lawyer on behalf of Sheikh Rasheed, Justice Ejaz-ul-Ahsan remarked that fake votes and rigging in elections also happen here, against which there is a law. Will the elections be stopped due to concerns of rigging?
Justice Ijazul Hassan further said that why does the Election Commission not use its powers to stop rigging? It is important to address the concerns of the Election Commission, but instead of addressing the concerns, it is not right to remove the right of overseas Pakistanis to vote.
The bench said that the amendment of the Election Act will be reviewed only if it conflicts with the fundamental rights. Apparently, the right to vote for overseas Pakistanis is a matter of public interest and fundamental human rights. The court has given several decisions regarding the rights of overseas Pakistanis. .
Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi said that is the current assembly authorized to make amendments regarding fundamental rights? At present the number of members in the assembly is very less.
He said that modern devices are used all over the world, modern devices are used in every work, so why not in voting?
Later, the Supreme Court overruled the objections to the application related to voting by overseas Pakistanis and ordered it to be fixed for an early hearing.
After the hearing, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed while talking to the media outside the Supreme Court said that the judiciary also feels that overseas Pakistanis should have the right to vote, the result of the upcoming election will be important if overseas Pakistanis get the right to vote.
He said that there has been a split in PDM, Muslim League (N) and (S) are going to face each other, terrorism in this country has been made a street game, 13 parties are fighting Imran Khan against the wall. Want to install.
He said that no person is bigger than institutions and no institution is bigger than Pakistan.
Sheikh Rashid once again claimed regarding the holding of the election and said that the election seems to be held this year.
He has said that the ongoing situation in the country is in front of everyone, people are burning electricity bills in places, people do not have money to bury the dead, the punishment of Shahbaz Sharif has come in the places where there was no flood.
Regarding the news of the important meeting in London, Sheikh Rasheed said that I went to Dubai, I did not go to London.
He further said that journalists have become the most oppressed class in Pakistan, the net shutdown was an exercise to remove Imran Khan’s speech.
It should be noted that Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had filed a petition in the Supreme Court last month to give the right to vote to overseas Pakistanis.
In the petition filed by Sheikh Rasheed, it was said that there are 9 million Pakistanis in the whole world, the Supreme Court should order the government to take measures to give the right to vote to the Pakistanis in the Oases and declare the amendment made in Article 94 of the Election Act null and void. .
Later, the Registrar’s Office declared the Election Amendment Act null and void and returned Sheikh Rasheed’s application to give the right to vote to overseas Pakistanis with objections.
In the objections, it was said that the petition was not explained in terms of filing in public interest.
The objections further stated that the application of Article 184(3) of the Constitution was not explained in the petition and the petitioner did not directly explain the reason for approaching the Supreme Court.
It should be noted that last month, the government had approved the Election Act Amendment Bill 2022 and the NAB Ordinance 1999 Amendment Bill in the joint session of the Parliament by majority vote.
In the joint session of the Parliament, the Election Act Amendment Bill was approved clause-wise, in which the Election Commission was asked to conduct a pilot project for EVMs and overseas voting.
The bill was introduced by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi, under the bill further amendments were made to the Elections Act, 2017.
