Poll scandal: Ministry to probe use of substandard ink

Committee report to be submitted by November 1.

ISLAMABAD:

The government has decided to take up the issue of sub-standard ink used in the May 11 general elections – which may have jeopardised the process of establishing voter identity through thumb verification.

While the election tribunals are hearing cases of alleged rigging, the judges have sent ballot records of some constituencies to NADRA to ascertain whether genuine voters had cast their ballots during the polls.

The verification revealed that the instead of magnetic ink, which was specified by NADRA, common ink was used.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had ordered a subsidiary of the ministry of science and technology to provide this ink. The ECP took notice of the issue but decided to conduct its investigations once the tribunals decide the cases.

In the meantime, the ministry of science and technology has decided to launch an inquiry on its own and has constituted a committee in this regard.

The probe committee will be headed by Joint Electronics Adviser for the Science & Technology ministry Abdul Haleem Asghar, director general, PCSIR Labs Complex, Lahore Dr Shahzad Alam, , and deputy director general Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) Islamabad  Najamuddin will be its members.

According to an official handout, the committee will aim to, “find out whether ink/ magnetic ink pads were supplied according to the specifications given by the Election Commission of Pakistan.”

This committee has been directed to submit its report by November 1.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2013.