Hacking in electronic voting system: IHC issues notices to secy MoHW, other respondents

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the secretary Ministry of Housing and Works and other respondents in a petition seeking the appointment of commission for inquiry for investigations of rigging through hacking in electronic voting system.

A single bench of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri conducted hearing of the petition moved by an architect, Syed Qamar Abbas through Umer Ijaz Gillani advocate.

The petitioner sought direction to secretary Ministry of Housing (respondent No1) to appoint a Commission of Inquiry under Section 32 of the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) Ordinance, 1983 for investigating the allegations of rigging through hacking in electronic voting system and for making recommendations for the solution to his electoral dispute.

The counsel for the petitioner contended that elections of the Committee for the year 2023-25 were held and result was announced on 08.03.2023 but the election process was finalised through online voting.

He added that there is a report and the observation of the company, who was involved in the online voting that there was a hacking attack on the voting system, so the transparency of the elections cannot be guaranteed and elections have not been conducted in a transparent and clean manner.

He further contended that out of five members of election committee, three members have also raised objection regarding transparency of the elections of the PCATP, hence on the basis of report of the IT company as well as observations made by the members of the Election Committee, the election is liable to be set-aside but the law provides that matter should be referred to the Commission of inquiry under Section 32 of the PCATP Ordinance, 1983, hence seeks direction for the needful.

The IHC bench said in its written order that points raised, need consideration and issued notice to the respondents with the direction to file para-wise comments/reply within a period of fortnight.

The court also directed respondent No 2 Registrar, the PCATP to depute a senior officer well conversant with facts of the case to appear, in person, along with the relevant record in order to assist the court on the next date of hearing positively.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023