Software for expats’ voting to be functional in April, NADRA informs CJP

–CJP Nisar summons Memogate file from registrar’s office, Hussain Haqqani may be asked to return to Pakistan and face case

ISLAMABAD: A three-member bench of Supreme Court (SC) headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Monday appreciated the efforts by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) when the court was informed that the software enabling overseas Pakistanis to vote will be functional in April.

The SC bench was hearing petitions filed by members of civil society, appealing that the state set up the infrastructure so that overseas Pakistanis can cast their vote in Pakistan’s elections.

During the hearing, NADRA Chairman Usman Mobin told the court that “the matter [development of a software] has been brought under discussion with the ECP.”

“Work is underway on the software’s development,” he said. “It can [already] be tested on an experimental basis in mock elections and will be ready by the start of April.”

“NADRA and the ECP should sit together and give overseas Pakistanis the gift of voting ability,” the chief justice added while instructing NADRA to submit in court a progress report during the case’s next hearing in a month’s time.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) counsel showed reservations of the party at a similar software being developed in 2012 but not seeing the light of the day to which NADRA Director-General replied that the current software, unlike the previous one will be operational.

Justice Nisar also questioned PTI’s role during the formation of elections reform law to which senior PTI leader Arif Alvi replied, “The government took out a clause so we boycotted the legislation process”.

During Monday’s session, Justice Umar Ata Bandial stressed the need for empowering overseas Pakistanis with their voting rights, however, the chief justice remarked, “There are also some overseas Pakistanis who promised us but never came back.”

The CJP then went on to name Hussain Haqqani as one such person and asked for the Memogate controversy file from the registrar’s office, indicating that a notice would be sent to Hussain Haqqani to return to Pakistan and face the Memogate case.