A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard the case filed by 16 petitioners filed by civil society members for an appropriate infrastructure so that overseas Pakistanis could cast their vote in next elections.
During the course of proceedings, National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) Chairman Usman Mobin told the court that the matter regarding development of a software had been brought under discussion with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
He said work on developing the software was underway, which could be tested on an experimental basis in mock elections. It would be ready by the start of April.
At this, the chief justice remarked that it was a very good news given by the NADRA's chairman, who had given a reasonable 10-week deadline.
He observed that NADRA and the ECP should sit together and give the overseas Pakistanis the gift of vote casting. He also directed NADRA to submit a progress report during the next hearing.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) counsel recalled that a similar software was developed by NADRA's former chairman in 2012 as well. On which, the NADRA chief said that software was not operational. For the present software, the overseas voters would have to visit embassies, he added.
The chief justice questioned the PTI's role on the overseas vote issue as well as electoral reforms, observing that the party claimed to have the support of overseas Pakistanis but where it was when the elections reforms was passed.
PTI leader Arif Alvi said they boycotted the legislation process as the government had not included a certain a clause in the bill.
Justice Umar Ata Bandial stressed the need for empowering overseas Pakistanis by voting rights. He remarked that the hearts of overseas Pakistanis beat for Pakistan.
The chief justice remarked that there were also some overseas Pakistanis who despite making a promise had not come back. "Where is Husain Haqqani? Would he also get the right to vote? Why don't we send him a notice to come here and face the Memogate case."
The CJ asked for the Memogate file from the registrar's office.
It may be mentioned that the Memogate scandal had surfaced in 2011 when Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz had claimed to have received an 'anti-army' memo from then Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani for then-US joint chiefs chairman Admiral Mike Mullen.