ISLAMABAD: In the Capital Talk programme of Geo News hosted by Munib Farooq, the Ministry of Science and Technology Thursday gave a briefing on electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the presence of Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and PPP leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar.
Shibli Faraz said the beneficiaries of the obsolete system don’t want the use of EVMs in the next elections. He said rigging is not possible through EVMs. He said no vote would be rejected and tampering is not possible with EVMs. He said the EVMs formed by his government are user friendly. He said ballot papers will also be used along with EVMs in the elections.
Ahsan Iqbal said the real problem about the electoral process in Pakistan is not about the law, but it’s about the system. He said best elections can be conducted even under the existing laws if the state machinery remains neutral.
He said an EVM can start working differently if a chip is changed in it. He said these are not EVMs, but rigging machines. Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said the main problem in Pakistan is pre-poll rigging. He said electables are sent into a particular political party before the elections, and asked how this can be stopped? He said EVMs are also prone to hacking.
Khokhar said the pilot projects about the EVMs come under the responsibility of the Election Commission, but the government is using these powers. He said the RTS system malfunctioned in the 2018 elections, and then secret cameras were found during Senate elections. In such a situation, he asked, how the opposition can trust the government.
