ECP warns against hacking, malfunctioning of EVMs

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan while expressing reservations over hacking and malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs), said some countries have disallowed their use for the same reasons.

This was said during a meeting of Senate's Parliamentary Affairs Committee presided over by Senator Taj Haider on Tuesday to discuss issues related to Election Commission of Pakistan,

The secretary ECP said there is a serious risk of hacking and malfunctioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs). In order to address them, committees have been formed to evaluate the risks. Since some countries do not allow EVMs to be used, consensus is required for their use, he said. To a question by Senator Kamran Murtaza as to why ECP did not inform the government on incurring enormous expenditures for EVMs, the secretary ECP replied: “Had the government inquired from us about it, we would have told them.”

During the briefing given by ECP to the Senate Committee, the ECP officials said that the door –to-door registration of voters was done in all four provinces.

The members Senate Committee from Balochistan while expressing concerns over registration of votes in their province, said the national identity cards of women folk were not being processed and sought the presence of NADRA representative.

Chairperson Taj Haider said questions are being raised about NADRA, whereas we were forbidden to invite them to the committee meeting, and said he would take up the issue with the Senate chairman.