ECP tells SC bench: Senators opposed e-voting due to security concerns

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has informed the Supreme Court Constitutional Bench that all senators had opposed e-voting due to security concerns. A five-member constitutional bench, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, on Friday, heard the case regarding voting rights for overseas Pakistanis.

The bench directed the ECP to provide relevant reports to all parties. The court raised concerns over the security of e-voting for overseas Pakistanis.

Overseas Pakistanis’ right to vote: SC seeks progress report from ECP

The ECP’s lawyer informed that as part of a pilot project e-voting was conducted in 35 constituencies, and its report was submitted to the Senate committee. “The services of international experts were hired to develop e-voting,” he added.

The IT director Election Commission told that the system faced a serious cyberattack for one to three hours, raising concerns about hacking through large-scale e-voting.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar questioned the vulnerabilities in the system, asking, “If there is such a big risk, then what does the firewall do?” He said if hacking could occur, the entire electoral system could be compromised.

The IT director further disclosed that hacking attempts were made from India, Israel, and the Philippines during the pilot project. He emphasised that opening e-voting access to all overseas Pakistanis could significantly increase the risk of cyberattacks.

Advocate Uzair Bhandari, representing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, contended that they did not trust the Election Commission. He also accused the ECP of deliberately preventing overseas Pakistanis from voting. “Overseas Pakistanis are not being allowed to vote because they are all PTI voters,” he claimed. However, Justice Mussarat Hilali rejected this assertion, saying, “That is not the case.”

Justice Jamal Mandokhel reminded the petitioners that the Election Commission’s report had already been submitted to the parliament. “You should also go to the parliament. If the e-system fails, will the Supreme Court be held responsible?” he remarked.

Lawyer Arif Chaudhry argued that the parliament had legislated, and now the Supreme Court had to decide. “Then close the parliament,” Justice Mandokhail remarked. The lawyer said there was an attempt to shut down the Supreme Court to make the parliament functional.

The court directed the Election Commission to provide copies of the reports to the parties concerned, adjourning the hearing indefinitely.

The court also sought written responses from NADRA and the Election Commission, instructing them to provide details on steps taken so far for overseas voting within two weeks.

PTI founder Imran Khan and Sheikh Rashid had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking voting rights for overseas Pakistanis. Lawyer Dawood Ghaznavi has also filed a similar petition.

The hearing was adjourned indefinitely.

Meanwhile, a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, will hear appeals challenging the restoration of PTI founder’s bail and the annulment of his physical remand in connection with the May 9 riots on February 27.

The bench also includes Justice Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Gul Hassan Aurangzeb. Additionally, the Punjab government’s appeals seeking the cancellation of bail granted to other accused in the May 9 incidents have also been scheduled for hearing on the same date. The Punjab government had earlier moved the court, urging it to revoke the bail granted to multiple accused individuals involved in the riots.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025