ISLAMABAD: Less than a week after two federal ministers and ECP locked horns-the electoral body is entangled in a serious row with another top federal government official-this time NADRA chief Tariq Malik - over his "regrettable tone" for giving the "impression like ECP is a subordinate of NADRA."
Malik, the Chairman NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority), recently wrote a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) wherein he urged the latter to make progress on internet voting (i-voting-for overseas Pakistanis).
This did not go down well with the electoral body which took strong exception to the letter.
In its response to the letter, the ECP "regretted the tone" adopted by the NARA chief.
"It is the responsibility of the ECP to work on the new electoral system, but the tone adopted in the letter by NADRA is regrettable-the letter gave the impression like ECP is a subordinate of NADRA," the ECP said.
"The language of NADRA chairman showed as he is giving orders to the Election Commission of Pakistan," it said.
The ECP questioned why NADRA was looking for a new agreement of 2.4 billion rupees for the i-voting project. "Why NADRA left the earlier project initiated for i-voting in the country in between even after spending Rs 65.5 million?" the ECP asked.
"If the system was having flaws, were the responsible identified?" the ECP further asked.
The development surfaces at a time when all is not well between the ECP and federal government officials.
Amidst escalated hostility between the two sides over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), Wednesday, refused to share with the electoral body the crucial technical details related to EVMs, saying the required details could only be shared at a later stage.
In response to the 37 observations/objections regarding EVMs raised by ECP, a MoST team submitted its reports to ECP's Technical Evaluation Committee on Wednesday.
The MoST team declined providing the source code and schematic or preliminary design of the EVMs prepared by the ministry, Business Recorder has learnt.
The MoST team reportedly took the stance that sharing the source codes and schematic designs of EVMs would trigger the chances of their theft and piracy.
The ministry officials told the ECP officials that the crucial information regarding EVMs would be shared only after agreements with some technical firms related to EVMs were finalised, it is further learnt.
On September 7, the ECP had submitted a report in the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs containing 37 objections to EVMs.
The ECP raised its objections before the first meeting of its Technical Evaluation Committee that took place on September 8.
Before this meeting, without considering the technical input by the committee, the ECP submitted one-sided objections in the Senate panel, Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz told a presser, then.
Later, on September 10, the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs had a tumultuous session with the treasury members having categorically expressed their displeasure with ECP for repeatedly opposing the federal government's efforts to launch EVMs, which, the government says, aim at bringing transparency in electoral process.
"This ECP is good for nothing-it always rigged polls-it took bribes for that purpose-such institutions should be set ablaze," Railways Minister Azam Swati said in a hard-hitting tirade against the ECP that has come under wide public criticism for opposing introduction of EVMs.
Seemingly embarrassed by the minister's unexpected verbal offensive, the ECP officials walked out of the committee proceedings.
Later, treasury members led by Swati staged a walkout against Committee Chairman Taj Haider from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for not allowing newly inducted committee member Samina Mumtaz Zehri from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) to take part in voting on EVMs through videoconferencing.
After the treasury members walked out, Haider proceeded to hold voting on proposed amendments related to EVMs in the absence of treasury members. The opposition members participated in the voting to reject proposed amendments in the Elections Act 2017 [Elections (Amendment) Bill 2021] that allowed EVMs and internet-voting (i-voting - for overseas Pakistanis) in general elections.
Later in the day, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry accused Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja of acting as a "mouthpiece for the opposition."
On Tuesday, the ECP announced to initiate action against Swati and Chaudhry.
On Thursday, in a meeting presided over by Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal Hussain, the ECP issued notices to the two federal ministers and formally initiated action against them.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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