ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz Tuesday said the Election Commission of Pakistan has expressed its satisfaction over an Electronic Voting Machine developed for a trail by his department.
“The ECP has expressed its satisfaction over the apparatus during the meeting and gave some valuable suggestions regarding the role of the presiding officer”, Faraz said, while talking to media outside the commission.
The minister said that ECP authorities asked 75 questions about the machine all of which were responded to their satisfaction.
“The consensus has been developed on the use of technology in the election”, he added.
“Since it has been decided that Election 2023 will be conducted through the use of EVM, we have to decide such strategies and timelines now so that all the process including a tender for the EVMs may be initiated after the satisfaction of all the stakeholders”, he said.
The minister pointed out that it was discussed in the meeting that if some voter or presiding officer try to cast vote on EVM repeatedly then there will be a need of incorporating a strong voter identification system in the machine.
Faraz said although we were fulfilling all the requirements of the ECP regarding the manufacturing of EVM but we have already done preparations to incorporate a voter identification system in the machine.
“If ECP will ask us to incorporate voter identification system in the EVM the ministry can do it within a week”, the minister said.
He stated we were trying that the election process should involve more technology and reduced human interference.
To a question, he said the government has planned to educate the people through different ways about the utility of technology in the elections.
“Use of EVM in the election is meant to address all the issues which affect the credibility of the results and make the election controversial”.
The minister said that all the stakeholders including parliament, opposition parties, ECP and masses were being taken onboard on the use of EVM in the elections.
To another question, the minister stated that the EVM can be tested at any local government election before the general election.
He also invited opposition parties and the general public to examine the EVM and said that the government would make efforts to address their reservations in this regard.
“I am asking the opposition not to oppose it without examining for the sake of criticism and should send their technical experts to review its working,” the minister said.
He said that they had prepared a model machine and would accept the decision from the ECP after the examination today. “ECP is a constitutional institution and the government cannot dictate it”, he said.
Faraz said Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken a revolutionary step for electoral reforms and the introduction of EVMs would change the country’s electoral history.
He said there was nothing secret in the machine and their only purpose was to bring transparency to the electoral process. “Even the ECP is opting for technological change for improving the electoral process,” the minister said.
