Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi Monday stressed the need for expediting the process of electoral reforms in line with Supreme Court of Pakistan’s directives to enable overseas Pakistanis to cast their votes through internet-voting.
The president, chairing a meeting to discuss the requirements and specifications of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), said the federal government wanted to facilitate and support the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in implementing the electoral reforms, particularly i-voting for expatriates and use of EVMs in polls.
He expressed the hope that i-voting and EVMs would greatly help in promoting transparency and ensuring credibility of the electoral process in the country. The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Railways, Azam Khan Swati, Secretary ECP Dr Akhtar Nazir, Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology Nadeem Irshad Kayani and senior government officials.
The Ministry of Science and Technology briefed the meeting about the specifications and design of the EVM.
It was informed that they were actively working on designing the prototype EVM as per existing specifications provided by the stakeholders.
The president appreciated the efforts of the relevant organizations in supporting the electoral reform process.
