Introducing EVMs: Govt, ECP reps agree on effective coordination

The government and the election commission agreed on effective coordination to further improve coordination on the issue of electronic voting machine in the forthcoming general elections, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Thursday.

According to sources, Federal Minister Shibli Faraz, who heads the government coordination committee, met the chief election commissioner

The election commission members of Sindh and Balochistan were also present.  The meeting discussed the implementation of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021

EVM and overseas pakistanis' right to vote was also discussed in detail during the meeting.

According to sources, the minister pledged to provide electronic voting machines for pilot testing. 

The election commission should decide on the features of EVM and according to officials, three committees of the election commission will submit their reports this month. In the light of the reports of the committees, proposals will be sought from the EVM manufacturing companies. 

In September, the Election Commission raised objections to the proposed introduction of EVM. The ECP in a document submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, which met with Senator Taj Haider in the chair warned that the machine was tampering-prone and its software could easily be altered.

Representatives of civil society also attended the meeting and opposed both the plans to introduce EVM and internet voting for overseas Pakistanis. The objections were submitted to the Senate panel by the ECP a day ahead of its schedule to go for voting on two controversial bills seeking to amend the elections act. ECP Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal Hussain and Director General for IT Khizar Aziz attended the meeting.

The government and the election commission agreed on effective coordination to further improve coordination on the issue of electronic voting machine in the forthcoming general elections. According to sources, Federal Minister Shibli Faraz, who heads the government coordination committee, met the chief election commissioner

The election commission members of Sindh and Balochistan were also present. The meeting discussed the implementation of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021

EVM and overseas pakistanis' right to vote was also discussed in detail during the meeting. According to sources, the minister pledged to provide electronic voting machines for pilot testing. 

The election commission should decide on the features of EVM and according to officials, three committees of the election commission will submit their reports this month. In the light of the reports of the committees, proposals will be sought from the EVM manufacturing companies.