*LAHORE – * Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar will betravelling to the United Kingdom and European countries to speak to theoverseas Pakistanis to generate awareness on the crucial issue of waterscarcity and building new dams for which funds could be raised from theexpatriates.

The chief justice decided to visit Europe after accepting an invitationfrom the World Congress of Overseas Pakistanis.

Speaking to the World Congress of Overseas Pakistanis Executive DirectorArif Anis after delivering the landmark judgment on Friday through whichthe Supreme Court permitted Pakistanis residing abroad to cast vote in theupcoming by-polls, Justice Nisar said, “Many congratulations to overseasPakistanis today.” He added that it would be the first time that expatPakistanis will be voting in a local election through I-voting mechanism.

The judgment was issued by a three-judge bench headed by the CJP himselfwhich was hearing petitions at the apex court’s Lahore registry. Dr FarhatSiddiqui, along with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan andothers through solicitor Muhammad Dawood Ghaznavi, sought voting rights foroverseas Pakistanis.

The petitioners had asked the top court to order authorities to give themthe right to vote so that they could participate in elections and choosetheir leaders. They had also asked the court to order the ECP to implementits 2014 judgment in which arrangements for overseas Pakistanis had beenordered for their fundamental rights as guaranteed by the Constitution.