Govt offers ECP to develop another electronic voting machine

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has offered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to develop another electronic voting machine (EVM) after the institution showed reservations about the use of the EVMs in the polls, ARY News reported on Thursday.

While talking to the ARY News programme ‘Power Play’, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz said that more electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be produced before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

He said that ECP was fully authorised for selecting the suitable EVM as the institution was given different options by the federal government.

The federal minister said that ECP is an independent institution and no one has reduced its powers.

He criticised that there are three to four factions in the opposition political party Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) which used to deliver contrary statements every time. He added that the opposition parties were spreading rumours about the EVMs that the machines will be used to rig elections.

Shibli Faraz said that it is the modern time and we have to adopt modernise techniques too.

The federal minister was of the view that all previous elections were surrounded by disputes and the incumbent government wanted to bring a permanent solution. He also offered the opposition parties table suggestions to resolve the reservations raised by them.

Shibli Faraz said that the opposition parties were using delaying tactics regarding the electronic voting machines (EVMs).