MM News

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday gave his assent to the Elections (Amendment) Bill for the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the elections and grants the right of vote to overseas Pakistanis.

The president signed the legislation at a ceremony attended by cabinet ministers and a large number of journalists and media professionals. Passed by the parliament, the bill provides for holding of the next general election through the EVM as well as granting the right of vote to the overseas Pakistanis.

On the occasion, the President asked the opposing voices not to be afraid of a “simple” electronic voting machine (EVM) and hoped that would help in holding fair election, bringing an end to the rigging.

“People will have to trust it. It involves no advancement. It is too simple. The country achieves progress by adopting new things,” he said, adding that the EVM would ensure holding a fair election which had long been desired in Pakistan.

Calling it a “great step”, the president said the legislation was made possible owing to the consistency of Prime Minister Imran Khan and hard work by the cabinet members despite huge resistance. He said that it would help print the vote at the spot instead of printing the ballot paper at the press.

Alvi further said the machine would help to do away practice of printing extra ballot papers which used to be sold out later, the kidnapping of presiding officers, and confusion in the counting process.

He said at EVM, the voter would cast his vote by touching the screen instead of stamping the ballot paper. “The process is the same. Then what is the resistance for?” he questioned.

He clarified that the Ministry of Science and Technology was not a manufacturer of the EVMs rather it just made a prototype for the experiment. “It would be the Election Commission to select the EVM based on the required specifications,” he added.

Speaking of I-voting for the overseas Pakistanis, the president recounted his as well as PTI’s legal and political struggle to give the voting right to the expatriate.

Rubbishing the notion of hacking, the president quoted the 2018 data of digital transactions worth $5 trillion a day which he said involved far lesser chances of hacking than a plane crash.

Earlier, Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz said the legislation was a historic achievement as in the past, the controversies on the fairness of elections begot political and economic instability besides confrontation in the parliament.

He said following the 90-day deadline by the prime minister, the ministry got the prototype of EVM manufactured through NUST and experimented with it at multiple forums like universities, chambers, and before media.

He said the legislation on EVM was a bold decision and no resistance could deter the prime minister’s confidence as the PTI had resolved to establish a system for holding the polls by utilizing the technology.