ECP sets up task force to assess internet voting system for overseas Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday set up a task force to assess web based automated system of internet voting for eligible Pakistani voters living abroad.

According to ECP, on the direction of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the ECP has established Internet Voting Task Force for conducting third party evaluation and technical audit of the I-Voting solution, proposed by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

It said that the I-Voting Task Force was mandated to technically assess the overall web based automated system of internet voting for eligible Pakistani voters living abroad having National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) and valid machine readable Pakistani passport as per the terms of reference (TOR) and will submit its report along with the recommendations.

CEO M/S IT-Butler, Dubai, UAE, Dr Muhammad Manshad Satti will be the convener of the task force while the members included DG (Law), ECP Muhammad Arshad, Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board, Lahore Dr Umer Saif, Information Technology Board, Peshawar KP, Shahbaz Khan, Assistant Professor, National University of Science and Technology, representative from Lahore University of Management Sconces, Lahore and representative from Institute of Business Administration, Karachi.

National Database Registration Authority (NADRA), earlier in this month informed the Supreme Court that a preliminary software was developed to extend electronic voting facility to overseas Pakistanis through Internet in general elections.

A team of NADRA headed by its chairman Usman Mobin gave a detailed presentation to a bench comprising of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Umer Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan at the Supreme Court during the hearing regarding the right of vote to overseas Pakistanis.