Impossible to incorporate electronic voting in 2018 elections, observes SC

Next hearing scheduled for after elections

The Supreme Court observed on Thursday that it is impossible to incorporate an electronic voting system for the upcoming general elections in the country.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, resumed hearing of a petition filed in 2012 by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan which sought removal of alleged bogus votes from the voter lists issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

During the hearing, PTI's counsel brought up the matter of using an electronic voting system. Observing that as there was not much time left till the country goes to polls, Justice Nisar stated that it would be impossible to the apply electronic voting system in such a short duration.

He also stressed that an experimental phase to test the system was necessary, to which the counsel for PTI suggested that the top court seek a written report from the concerned authorities.

Noting the impracticality of the petition given the time frame, the bench declined PTI's appeal and ordered the registrar to fix the next hearing after general elections 2018. “Social media will be stirred with a new argument on this,” remarked the top judge.



In 2012, the PTI chairperson had approached the Supreme Court regarding fake votes on electoral lists. The case was heard by a four-member bench of the apex court, headed by the then Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.