Shehbaz Sharif’s plan to represent overseas Pakistanis violated the SC order: Babar Awan

Islamabad: The National Assembly’s opposition leader Sheikh Baz Sharif’s proposal to represent overseas Pakistanis in parliament violated the Supreme Court’s order, said the parliamentary affairs adviser Babar Awan.

On Monday, he held a press conference in Islamabad to discuss the issue of Pakistanis voting at sea and Shebaz’s proposal.

He called Shebaz’s proposal a “fraud” and stated that Articles 17, 19 and 106(2) of the Constitution all give overseas Pakistanis the right to vote. Awan said that Shebaz hoped that Pakistanis abroad would be deprived of the right to vote.

Shehbaz proposed to allocate 5 to 7 seats in the National Assembly and 2 seats in the Senate to overseas Pakistanis. He has said that overseas Pakistanis should come to the country to vote during the election.

Awan said that Shehbaz should not look for shortcuts, but should speak in Parliament.

Awan said Prime Minister Imran Khan is committed to granting overseas Pakistanis the right to vote in order to allow them to participate in the decision-making process.

He said that the right to vote is a basic right of Pakistanis overseas, adding that Khan and his coalition partners believe in the supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law.

He invited the opposition to discuss with the government and said that the door to dialogue is open.

Awan said that Shebaz should not insult Pakistan’s constitution. “If the entire parliament wants to collectively deprive them (overseas Pakistanis) of their rights, Article 8 of the Constitution prohibits doing so,” he said.

Awan said that any discussion on electoral reform should be held in Parliament, and suggested that the opposition should not look for “alternative paths.”