ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) needs up to 258 billion rupees for the procurement of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), while the electoral body has proposed four options for i-voting for overseas Pakistanis—internet voting, postal voting, online voting in embassies/high commissions and electronic postal ballot voting.
These proposals have been moved in the reports of the three committees the electoral body has formed regarding the EVMs and i-voting. All the three committees have submitted their reports to the ECP.
In a meeting presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, on Thursday, Secretary ECP Omar Hamid Khan briefed the commission regarding the EVMs procurement and their use.
He also briefed the meeting on the need for additional parliamentary legislation regarding implementation of EVMs. The meeting was also briefed on the four major options of i-voting for overseas Pakistanis –and other options including Electoral College, and reserved seats for overseas Pakistanis in elections.
The ECP, on November 23rd last year, announced to have formed three committees led by its top officials over EVMs and i-voting. According to the electoral body, the Technical Committee comprises secretary ECP dealing with the scope of the EVMs and i-voting.
The Financial Committee is led by Additional Secretary (Admin) Manzoor Akhtar Malik that deals with finances regarding the EVMs and i-voting. The Legal Committee is led by ECP Director General (Law) Muhammad Arshad regarding implementation of laws on the EVMs and i-voting, and problems being faced in this regard.
Also on November 23 last year, scores of overseas Pakistanis, accompanied by close aides of Prime Minister Imran Khan, assembled at the ECP, submitted a memorandum with the electoral body, demanding the provision of i-voting facility to overseas Pakistanis - and extended their gratitude to the PM and his government for recent parliamentary legislation that grants voting right to millions of overseas Pakistanis.
On November 17, 2021, in a landmark move, the federal government got the Elections Second (Amendment) Bill, 2021 passed by the joint session of the parliament. This legislation grants voting right to overseas Pakistanis besides providing for the introduction of the EVMs in the general elections.
The move has been widely lauded by overseas Pakistanis and public circles in Pakistan. However, just a day after the passage of Elections (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021 by the parliament, the secretary ECP, on November 18, said that the electoral body was “unsure” whether or not the 2023 general elections would be held on the EVMs.
He disclosed this in the meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice chaired by Riaz Fatyana from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022