ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Sikandar Sultan Raja said that committees will evaluate possibility of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) use in elections and the government was not supposed to give deadline to ECP for this purpose.
Talking to media informally, ECP Chairman said that the commission was waiting for Ministry of Science and Technology report on the credibility of the EVMs to use them in the upcoming elections. He said that a committee would firm up its recommendations pertaining to the possibility of the use of electronic voting machines in next elections.
He made it clear that the government’s deadline to use EVMs for elections does not matter and the ECP would take decision according to the recommendations of the committee.
On Tuesday the federal cabinet decided to float tenders for the purchase of EVMs would be floated next month. It has also set a deadline for I-Voting, giving the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) four months to update its system for i-voting.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja told journalists that the ECP is awaiting a response from the Ministry of Science and Technology on the EVM trials in the local body elections. He said a committee was reviewing the rules on the use of electronic voting machines in elections.
The decision on the use of EVMs will be made in light of the recommendations of the committees, he said.
Raja rejected the government’s proposed timeline and clarified his position. He said that he would not resign under any pressure.
“The rules regarding the EVMs will be formulated by the Election Commission in light of the recommendations of the committee. Where necessary, we will also approach Parliament,” he said. Sikandar Sultan Raja also said that a second committee was reviewing the systems of different countries including India on EVMs and I-voting.
