Islamabad: Noting that the Election Commission of Pakistan had taken various steps regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs) even before the legislation was passed, the poll body has said that it was fully aware of its obligations and no one should try to put it under duress, local media reported on Saturday.
Quoting a spokesperson of the ECP, The News International stated that it was wrong to believe that the Commission was ignoring its responsibilities concerning the use of computerized voting machines.
“In this regard, the Election Commission wants to make it clear that even before the rules of the electronic voting machines, it has been taking various steps regarding the use of technology. Immediately after the related legislation, the Commission formed three committees regarding the technology, which gave a briefing to the Election Commission on their work on December 23, 2021,” he said, according to The News International.
Despite the reservations of the opposition about the “electoral reforms”, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the next general elections would be held through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Khan said EVMs will bring transparency to the electoral process.
The opposition has argued that anything that is controlled and operated by others and can be used to manipulate electoral results is unacceptable.
Earlier this year, Former Speaker of Pakistan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had stated that the countries where EVMs have been tried and tested have either already reverted to paper ballots or are going back to the old system for different reasons.