LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday issued notices to the federal and provincial governments on a petition against the denial of voting rights to overseas Pakistanis in the local body elections.

Justice Shujaat Ali Khan was hearing the petition of Atiq-ur-Rehman, an Australian-born Pakistani, challenging the decision to deny overseas Pakistanis the right to vote in local body elections.

The court sought the assistance of the Attorney General of Pakistan and Advocate General of Punjab on the application. The petition pointed out that the right to vote is a fundamental right of every citizen under the Constitution, and this right cannot be denied.

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The petitioner pointed out that depriving the citizens of their basic rights is a serious violation of the Constitution. He contended that the Election Commission of Pakistan has not given any satisfactory answer regarding the right to vote for overseas Pakistanis and the proceedings are limited to the paperwork. The petitioner stated that overseas Pakistanis have played a significant role in increasing the country’s foreign exchange reserves, but they are still denied the right to vote.

The petitioner pleaded that in many countries, overseas have the right to vote but Pakistani overseas are deprived of this right. The petitioner asked the court to direct the government to allow overseas Pakistanis to vote in upcoming local body elections. After hearing preliminary arguments, the court sought replies from both governments till April 11.