Electoral process can no longer afford shaky system: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said Pakistan’s democratic and electoral process could no longer afford a system which is questioned and the public confidence in it is shaken.

The prime minister said that in the light of past experiences, the introduction of electronic voting machine to make the electoral process transparent, secure and impartial is in the interest of the country and democracy. He directed that efforts should be intensified to equip the proposed electronic machines with modern security features and the experience of developed countries should be taken into consideration.

He expressed these views while having a briefing on electronic voting machine (EVM). Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry gave the briefing to the prime minister on the electronic voting machine, voting procedure and various features of the machine developed by the Comsats and the National Institute of Electronics.

The prime minister was informed that with the help of the machine where the entire voting process would be completely transparent, the results of the election process would be completely safe and immediately available.

The meeting was told that the development of the electronic voting machine had ensured the resolution of all issues raised in the past regarding the electoral process. The prime minister was also given a demonstration of the electoral process through an electronic voting machine.

The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the working of the model machine and appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Comsats. He said that unfortunately in the past, almost every election held in the country raised different questions which not only affected the electoral and democratic process but also hurt the confidence of people. The government, he said, is committed to the use of EVM in the electoral process.