Faraz says Rs1 million to be awarded for hacking EVM

Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz on Friday announced that anyone who can hack the locally manufactured electronic voting machine (EVM) will get Rs1 million.

The federal minister, speaking to journalists in Islamabad, said: "We will challenge hackers to hack the electronic voting machine and if they can hack it, we will give them an award of Rs1 million."

Faraz said there was "no easier way to cast a vote" than the EVM and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should not put itself in a "controversial position".

Faraz told the media that 400,000 machines had been produced locally and the cost of manufacturing per machine was estimated between Rs75,000-70,000.

The 27 out of the 37 points that the ECP had highlighted in a document submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs are a "charge sheet" against it, he said.

"The election commission does not want to conduct elections via EVM."

Faraz's statement came after officials of the ECP had walked out of a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs following federal minister Azam Swati accusing the commission of taking bribes.

A session of the committee was held under the chair of Senator Taj Haider during which the debate on the usage of electronic voting machines for the next general elections turned hostile.

Opposition senators said that Swati cannot accuse a constitutional body of taking bribes, and asked the senator to provide proof to back his claim.

Swati then added that such institutions conduct all elections through "rigging" and should be "set on fire". At this, the ECP officials walked out in protest.