EVMs, e-voting, data centre to cost Rs59b

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has informed the federal cabinet that it would take an initial amount of Rs59 billion to purchase the electronic voting machines (EVMs), set up a data centre and install a system for e-voting.

During a recent cabinet meeting, the government has conditionally accepted the ECP’s demands.

An information committee has been formed, headed by Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz, to implement the new laws on the use of EVMs and e-voting. The body also includes the ministers of IT and telecom and railways; the adviser to the PM on parliamentary affairs; and the attorney general for Pakistan.

The committee’s secretariat has been set up at the Parliamentary Affairs Division.

The committee would review the demands and reservations of the ECP on the laws.

According to details, the ECP has informed the cabinet that Rs56 billion would be needed to purchase the EVMs. Besides, a sum of Rs2.40 billion would be required to set up a system for e-voting. An additional amount of Rs850 million would be needed to set up a data centre and results management system (RMS).

Prime Minister Imran Khan has instructed the committee and the ECP to jointly take steps to implement the new laws.

The participants of the meeting declared those opposing the use of EVMs a “mafia”.

The responsibility to spread awareness on e-voting has been assigned to the foreign ministry. The foreign ministry and embassies would run an effective campaign to inform the Pakistanis living abroad on how to use the e-voting system.

The task of informing the public about the EVMs has been assigned to the ECP and the information ministry.

Read ECP rejects govt's 'intimidation to rush EVMs purchase'

The federal cabinet will chalk out a mechanism for e-voting in consultation with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and the information and science and technology ministries.

On the ECP’s demand, the Planning Division would set up a data centre and EVMs warehouse in Islamabad’s H-8 Sector.

The ECP would assign the task of upgrading the e-voting system to Nadra, which in turn would have four months to achieve the goal.

According to cabinet sources, the ECP would decide the features of the EVMs.

The commission, as per the rules of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), would float tenders for the purchase of the EVMs.

The information ministry would also set up a social media cell to thwart the propaganda against the use of EVMs.

A day earlier, the federal cabinet had linked the release of funds for the ECP to the use of the EVMs for all the polls held in the country.

“The ECP is bound to conduct all the elections using EVMs as parliament has passed it into law,” Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry told the media at a post-cabinet meeting briefing.

“If the elections are not held through EVMs, then the government would not be able to release funds to the ECP… and the law minister is of the same view. The law permits holding elections only using the EVMs,” he added.

The PTI-led government had amended the Elections Act, 2017 in a joint session of parliament earlier this month, allowing the use of EVMs and e-voting right to overseas Pakistanis amid fervent protest by the opposition.