Govt snubs ECP objections over EVMs

Minister says commission’s reservations ‘one-sided’

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government on Wednesday rejected the objections of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the next general elections, describing them as “one-sided”.

A day earlier the ECP had raised 37 objections to the proposed introduction of EVMs.
“Those opposing the use of EVMs are against fair and transparent elections in the country,” Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz said at a news conference.

“They [EVMs] are bad news for those who use money and intimidation [in elections],” he added.

The ECP in a document submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs had warned that the machine was prone to tampering and its software could easily be altered.

The minister maintained that neutral umpires would be introduced in the 2023 polls in the form of EVMs.

He added that 27 of the 37 objections raised by the ECP were not even related to the commission.

“The opposition can call international experts to show them the machine to address their reservations.”
Shibli said the government was planning to proceed with its plans to legislate on EVMs. “The government’s job is to legislate and that we shall do that,” he said.

The minister noted that the report of the Judicial Commission had pointed out flaws in the election system.
He added that the Supreme Court had also encouraged the use of technology for conducting the polls.

“Some people do not want transparency in elections.”

The science and technology ministry officials said a technical team had to present a briefing to the ECP on Wednesday but the commission had already raised its objections a day earlier.

In the document, the ECP had said time was too short for a large-scale procurement and deployment of EVMs and imparting training to a massive number of operators.

It added that it was not advisable to introduce EVMs countrywide in one go.
The commission maintained that the elections on one day as required under the law would be nearly impossible.

The ECP also referred to various other issues linked with the use of EVMs, including lack of ballot secrecy, lack of capacity at all levels and lack of ensuring security and chain of custody for the machines at rest and during transportation. It also pointed out that there would be no evidence available in case of election dispute.

The ECP said data integration and configuration issues may crop up due to court orders at the eleventh hour regarding a change in ballot paper.