The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday rejected concerns over i-voting system that would enable overseas Pakistanis to vote in October 14 by-polls in 37 constituencies for both national and provincial assembly seats.
Flanked by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) officials, ECP Public Relations Director General Nadim Qasim in a joint press conference said that the commission was not acting in haste; it was just fulfilling its responsibility.
“Overseas Pakistanis have the right to vote,” he said, adding that the process of registering overseas voters would continue until September 15.
Qasim said that the ECP had collaborated with the NADRA over the initiative. “Overseas voters can check their eligibility and also cast their vote by visiting the website.”
To cast their votes online, overseas Pakistanis should possess a national identity card for overseas Pakistani (NICOP), machine readable passport (MRP) and must be registered voters in constituencies where by-elections are set to take place. The ECP spokesperson said a video had been prepared to guide voters.
“The video is being circulated widely on the social media. It will also be aired on PTV during prime time.” Qasim said.
A programme had also been launched to raise awareness among overseas Pakistanis on i-voting, Qasim said. A report on the results of the pilot project will be presented before the parliament, he said.
Following the launch of the website for overseas Pakistanis on August 31, election observers had voiced concern over the credibility and transparency of the system mainly due to alleged crash of the Result Transmission System (RTS) in July 25 polls.
An official working with the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) had said one of the concerns was that the i-voting system could easily be subjected to cyber attacks or manipulation. Political parties have also expressed concerns about the i-voting process.
Published in Daily Times, September 12th 2018.
