ISLAMABAD – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday soughtexplanation from the Ministry of Science and Technology over the recentstatement of the Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology overElectronic Voting Machine (EVM).
The secretary science and technology in a meeting of the standing committeeof Senate said that ECP was yet to give briefing over the specifications ofEVM. The secretary remarked that the ministry would design the EVM afterbriefing of the ECP.
However, the ECP taking notice of the statement of the secretary scienceand technology, sough explanation from the concerned authority.
The commission in its letter to the ministry said that ECP already hadinformed the ministry regarding the specifications of EVMs; saying that thecommission had done task related to the EVM and now ECP was waiting forbriefing about the EVM by the ministry of science and technology.
It must be noted that the ECP under the chairmanship of Chief ElectionCommissioner (CEC) Raja Sikandar Sultan on June 1 and 2 held twoconsecutive meetings for getting a detailed briefing on the prototype EVMsfrom the officials of the ministry of science and technology. However, theofficials of the ministry failed to brief ECP and sought some more time.
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Instead of briefing the ECP, the ministry informed the commission that theyneeded some more time to complete all relevant work on the EVM. About thetime frame, the ministry said that the work on EVM to be finalised in thethird week of July this year.
Meanwhile, the ECP told the ministry that it appreciated its help, but itwould also take relevant stakeholders on board before it transitionstowards electronic voting as per its constitutional responsibility.
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