Electronic voting machine to help get rid of rigging: Fawad Ch

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Monday said the electronic voting machine, developed by the National Institute of Electronics, would help get rid of rigging in election.

Giving briefing about the machine here, he said the machine had two parts. The first one would have election symbols while the second would be with the presiding officer. Chaudhry Fawad said that only the presiding officer would be able to turn on the machine and voters would be able to cast their votes by clicking on any symbol through the machine.

He said clicking on the election symbol would be an electric vote cast. "Not only electric vote casting can be done through the machine but also ballot paper can be printed," he said.

The minister announced that the work on the electronic voting machine was in the final stages and the machine would be shared with the National Database and Registration Authority, National University of Science and Technology and COMSATS soon.

He said the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Institute of Electronics had done a great job by developing such a machine. The machine has been developed as per directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure fair and transparent elections. It is necessary to convert to the electronic voting system to avoid what happened in Daska and other places in the recent by-elections, he added.