ISLAMABAD: Dark clouds loom over the usage of electronic voting machines in the next general elections as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) looked uncertain here on Thursday while discussing the issue at a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice.
The bill was recently approved in a joint sitting of the parliament on Wednesday amidst criticism by the opposition members.
A rather bleak picture was painted when the body, under whose watch the general elections are supposed to be held, appeared uncertain with the opposition members supporting its view and the ruling party insisting on its usage. A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha identified the loopholes in the system, stating that EVMs were being brought in without axing the manual voting system.
Questions regarding the EVMs efficacy in regions like Balochistan were also raised where basic internet facilities are not available in most parts of the region. However, the ECP secretary assured the opposition members that the election watchdog was working towards addressing the EVMs situation in Balochistan.
The opposition members also raised concerns about the EVMs being tampered with with the ECP secretary acknowledging that there were some challenges ahead before the EVMs could be used in the next polls.