ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser tasked by Prime Minister Imran Khan to evolve a parliamentary consensus on electoral reforms, is unlikely to succeed due to financial, logistical and technical constraints in streamlining the voting methodology by the next general elections.
Speaking to Business Recorder, former secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Kanwar Dilshad said at least 1 trillion rupees is required to replace manual voting with digital voting procedures — Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Biometric Verification Machines (BVMs) or internet voting in general polls.
At least Rs 60 billion would be required for the procurement of 350,000 EVMs and other expenses like training of electoral staff for operating EVMs, add logistical expenses and the cost would spiral to more than Rs 1 trillion, he said.
“I don’t think digital voting is a feasible option in Pakistan. Uninterrupted power supply and internet facility are two basic prerequisites for EVMs. In several parts of the country, power outages are persistent due to issues like obsolete power transmission system and line losses, and several remote areas of the country have no access to internet at all. In such a situation, how can be the introduction of EVMs ensured in 2023 general elections? In my opinion this is a futile exercise,” he said.
Dilshad said ECP’s pilot projects regarding EVMs and BVMs have been failed in the past. After 2018 general elections, ECP spent 150 million rupees for i-voting facility to overseas Pakistanis in by-polls but only 400 overseas Pakistanis cast their vote using this facility, he said.
He said government’s initiative to form a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms would not succeed unless ECP is involved. “It’s the ECP’s job to hold free and fair elections and without seeking its input, any initiative regarding electoral reforms is unlikely to succeed. Chief election commissioner should spearhead the campaign of electoral reforms instead of speaker NA.
The hostility between government and opposition has increased after chairman Senate election. I don’t think opposition would be willing to join hands with government on electoral reforms,” he said.
A senior ECP official told Business Recorder that government did not contact the ECP regarding formation of a parliamentary committee for electoral reforms. “Government’s electoral reforms agenda is mainly about streamlining voting methodology in general elections and open ballot in Senate elections. The latter can be achieved simply through parliamentary legislation. But introducing EVMs, BVMs or i-voting is not something that can be achieved in few weeks or months. This requires a lot of time, funds, logistical and technical expertise,” the source said.
India started working on EVMs in 1980 and acquired this voting facility in 2004, he said.
On Thursday, the NA speaker wrote a letter to parliamentary leaders of all political parties having representation in the Parliament regarding electoral reforms.
On Wednesday, PM wrote a letter to NA speaker to engage the opposition by forming a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms.
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah said N-League would not be part of government’s electoral reforms. He told that other parties in Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will also reject government’s electoral reforms.
Raja Pervez Ashraf from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said his party is in favour of electoral reforms to bring transparency to the electoral process. “We will go through the draft of government’s electoral reforms agenda and then decide what to do,” he said adding that the matter would also be taken up by the PDM to take a collective decision.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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