Pakistan

ECP unlikely to use modern techniques in NA-120 by-polls

Plan to use biometric machine receives setback

Irfan Ghauri September 02, 2017

Plan to use biometric machine receives setback. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) plan to use the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Biometric Verification Machines (BVM) during this month’s by-elections at Lahore’s NA-120 has had a setback as fingerprint data of thousands of voters of the constituency is missing.

The ECP had announced to use the EVMs and BVMs for test run at the NA-120 constituency from where Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is contesting after Sharif’s disqualification by the apex court on July 28. The by-polls for the seat are scheduled for September 17.

Magnetised ink discrepancy: ECP to use biometric voting machines

For using the modern technology, the ECP had asked the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to provide fingerprint data of all the voters residing in the constituency. NADRA last month said it had provided all the necessary data to the ECP.

However, the ECP has now found that data of thousands of voters is missing. “After detailed examination and analysis, it was found that biometric fingerprints data of 29,607 persons out of 3,21,786 voters of NA-120 is missing” an ECP official revealed.

He said the ECP has asked NADRA to immediately provide the missing fingerprints, adding that otherwise the ECP might not be able to execute the project.

“The ECP has procured 100 biometric and 150 EVMs for this test run in the constituency,” he said, adding that for NA-120, the ECP plans to use the EVMs and BVMs as a pilot project. Results will be compiled on conventional voting though.

Biometric voting: Plea to stop ECP from buying Indian machines

Earlier, the polls supervisory body was not be able to test biometric thumb verification machines at the July 9 by-polls at the Sindh Assembly’s PS-114 constituency as NADRA had failed to share with the ECP data of the constituency.

The ECP had announced to test biometric machines for voters’ verification in PS-114 Karachi as a pilot project and to submit its report to the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms which was working on new the election laws.

The Election Bill 2017, commonly known as electoral reforms bill, has been passed by the National Assembly and is now under consideration in the Senate. It has the provision to shift to modern technology gradually in order to make the election process transparent.

COMMENTS (4)

Salman Hasan | 7 years ago | Reply This is done to make sure PML-N wins easily by using old system with fake voters coming from other constituencies to vote for Begum Kulsum. Supreme Court needs to take notice of this open fraud ECP is about to make. People are warning this for so long that PML-N will not let Dr. Yasmin Rashid to win. Anyone voting for Begum Kulsum is basically an anti state element voting for corrupt mafia to weaken Pakistan. The whole system is corrupt to the bone. My grievances with PTI and opposition is that they are not doing enough to make people aware of this open fraud this corrupt government is about to conduct. Imran Khan should come out and ask all their leaders to watch each and every polling station closely, check the voters list and identify fake voters. You can't win until you fight against this corrupt mafia.

Anon | 7 years ago | Reply Of course not! PMLN can't leave anything to chance!

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ishrat salim | 7 years ago | Reply How will then these 30,000 voters cast their vote if their finger prints are unavailabe ? PTI, therefore, stands vindicated when they have been demanding to ensure free,fair and transparent voting. This is how PML N do fraud in collusion with ECP,which PTI has been pointing out and demand to change ECP officials. If this kind of issues keep on propping up, then Biometric verification of voters will be affected in 2018 ,which will benefit PML N party. Will then free, fair and transparent election possible ?

Ranjha | 7 years ago | Reply NADRA is a pawn of PML-N. Just remember what they did to its head when Imran was agitating to get the election results verified. As soon as the then NADRA head offered and told the SC it was possible and quite doable, he and his family were threatened and they had to leave Pakistan to find refuge in Canada. I am sure these are the 30k votes added from outside the constituency to make Kulsoom Nawaz win.

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