CJP assures provision of voting rights to Pakistani expatriates

ISLAMABAD - Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar remarked on Monday said that overseas Pakistanis would be provided the right to cast their votes.

Hearing a case related to dual citizenship of judges and civil servants, Justice Nisar declared it is about time that overseas Pakistanis are allowed to be part of the local electioral process.

"Overseas Pakistanis have exercised enough patience. We will provide them with the right to cast votes," observed the top judge.

The CJP noted that candidates holding dual nationalities were elected in the recent Senate elections but hastened to add that he was unaware of their identities.

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The secretary establishment, who appeared before the court, informed that 22 ministries were part of the 43 divisions.

According to the report submitted in the apex court, the number of civil servants holding dual nationalities is 64 in Punjab, 5 in Sindh, 9 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 8 in Balochistan, 28 in Azad Kashmir, and 1 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Justice Nisar, remarked that any civil servant found guilty of concealing information about dual citizenship would be removed from their position. He also noted that judges of the apex court were not allowed to hold dual nationalities due to the sensitive nature of their profession.

He asserted that the data pertaining to dual citizenship of government officers was very important.

Questioning the number of dual citizens in the prime minister's secretariat, the CJP summoned the premier's principal secretary, Fawad Hasan Fawad.

The hearing was then adjourned till 4.30PM.