As the country braces itself for 37 by-elections next month, a new development is that, after a long legal battle, the Supreme Court has allowed overseas Pakistanis to cast vote. A floodgate of discussion is now thrown open regarding this and the political parties are sharply divided on the issue. There was obviously no legal bar on overseas Pakistanis except the physical distance that made it impossible for them to be a part of this exercise.

Over the last few years, those Pakistanis who have shown overt interest in voting for election in Pakistan are understood to be Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf supporters. In fact, the petitions to this effect have been filed by the PTI members only. There is no factual analysis possible yet to prove this but the issue has been strongly owned by this one party, while all others object to it on many counts.

The most obvious concern for everybody is the transparency and fairness of the process. The internet or i-voting is untested and therefore "the security and capacity of the software" is a major problem highlighted by all. Opposition parties cite the example of the RTS software which was used in the general election and is said to have miserably failed.

Analysts are also wary about the secrecy of ballot paper being violated through this process. The counter argument from every side is that the issue was not debated enough, inside and outside the parliament, before putting it in place.

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Naysayers apart, the system is ready to be implemented and it has generated a new debate about different shades and classes of Pakistanis abroad, especially the dual nationals. In our Special Report, we have tried to get some sense of the issues of overseas people from dual nationals in certain countries and others especially based in the Middle East. It offers a chance to see how the people in the country view those who have settled abroad and vice versa. The remittances are pitched against the emotional ties. This is indeed a chance to revisit the social contract between "Pakistan and its diaspora".