Failure of RTS: Senate panel recommends forensic audit under parliamentary supervision

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday recommended forensic audit, duly supervised by parliamentary committee, of Result Transmission System (RTS) failure to probe into alleged rigging in the July 25 general election. The parliamentarians, including those from ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), raised questions on transparency of the general election 2018, saying that Rs 21 billion from exchequer were spent but Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) failed to ensure transparency.
The committee met with Rehman Malik in the chair here on Monday. While taking serious note on complaints and reservations expressed by the media, general public and various political parties, Malik said that committee held multiple meetings, both formal and informal, on the subject and has come to conclusion that a forensic audit duly supervised by parliamentary committee is necessary to probe into the allegations, complaints and failure of RTS. The committee decided to include the issue of verification of Result Management System (RMS) as TOR for further investigation.
Malik said that his committee was nominated by the Senate of Pakistan to oversee the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections. He said that the committee has already submitted two reports in the House for information of the House and senators and soon he will be submitting the third report. He said that they are fully aware of the complaints and reservations regarding the failure of the RTS and doing the technical investigations from Nadra and ECP.
He said that the following complaints and grey areas are being investigated by the committee: delay in election results, failure of RTS housed in Nadra, issues related to RMS housed in ECP, observations of the members on RTS and RMS, shortage of the Form-45, non-provision of Form-45 to the polling agents, ouster of polling agents from the polling stations, the number of votes rejected, failure of internet services/telephone services in the constituencies, breakdown of internet server at Nadra's headquarters, did the server of Nadra slow down during the operation?, reservations by the members of Senate in the House, e.g, posting and transfer of presiding officers and returning officers- complaints made by senators from Balochistan, recovery of stamped ballot papers along roadside, dustbins or elsewhere, violation, if any, in awarding contract by Nadra or ECP in violation of PPRA rules, further forensic audit of RTS by an independent private credible company and detecting of any other violation of security code for both RTS and RMS.
Senator Asad Ali Junejo interrogated Nadra and ECP thoroughly on technical aspects of two systems. He informed the committee that in order to come to a conclusion, it was imperative that audit logs of the two systems be investigated. He also asserted that routing data be examined as well along with unused ballot papers. It was suggested by some committee members that Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) be summoned in the next meeting and total costs of electioneering and its sources be delved into as well.
Malik said that there have been number of controversial observations raised by the media and various political parties on RTS which need to be thoroughly investigated through forensic audit by a credible organization duly supervised by parliamentary commission.
Malik from his own mobile phone played a voice message having been received through Whatsapp, and referred it to the Election Commission of Pakistan for verification. The voice message states: "There is a big issue in RTS all over the country. Therefore you all (presiding officers) are requested if the RTS system is not working, this is not mandatory option for us. Then leave this option of RTS and POs should bring the Form-45 directly to ROs." Malik asked the secretary ECP to verify whether or not this voice message was passed by Election Commission of Pakistan.
He added that this strong impression of failure of RTS needs to be fully investigated in the light of observations made by the various members inside the House of Senate and Interior Committee. He said that he was concerned about the fact that certificate for Result Management System (RMS) was issued by UNDP through Kualitatem Inc, a private company, and he does not see the role of Ministry of IT while verifying a system dealing with national data.
He emphasized that relationship between UNDP and Kualitatem Inc needs to be investigated. He said that a private company namely Kualitatem Inc was selected to get verify the RMS. He added that Kualitatem Inc got the certificate verified by another company namely EC-Council which is an Indian origin company with its office in Hyderabad, India, and one in New York, USA. He said that sadly the Kualitatem Inc did not declare in advance that Pakistan's sensitive data would be verified by a company having India origin. He said that the UNDP and the Kualitatem Inc should explain as to why and how they failed to inform Election Commission of Pakistan in advance. He questioned how an Indian origin private company was hired to pass security clearance of a national level sensitive system by the UNDP.
Malik said that directors of Kualitatem Inc are big names and one of them was the minister in the caretaker setup.
The secretary ECP said that RTS was not a part of the election reforms bill when presented in the Assembly, but law minister included it in the bill and thus it became part of the law. He further said that getting 85,000 mobile phones was a big challenge. At one stage it was proposed to acquire mobile phone sets but the Commission did not go for it.
The committee strongly condemned the recent move of the US President Donald Trump administration to cut off the Coalition Support Fund (CFS) to Pakistan. It said the CFS is actually not the aid as reported by national and international media but remuneration that Pakistan received for the logistic and other support and services it extended to the US and Nato in the war on terror. He said that Pakistan has been paying a heavy price in terms of life and property in fight against terrorism for more than a decade.
He said that international community must recognize Pakistan's efforts and come forward for treating and helping Pakistan as a victim rather to victimize it for on the illicit propaganda of hostile country India. He demanded the US administration to review its decision of cutting off the CFS and other funds to Pakistan.
Malik said that unfortunately the USA is playing in the hands of India while as matter of fact Indian Prime Narendra Modi is himself a terrorist being the member of terrorist outfit RSS which is a banned organization and responsible for the killing of Muslims in Kashmir and other parts of India.
Malik briefed the committee about the background of the case of three girls who were found dead in Cholistan desert. He said that he was hurt to hear the news and had taken the suo motu notice of the case and after listening to the police officials in the first meeting, he had ordered formation of a sub-committee headed by the Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmad who probed the matter.
Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmed told the committee that after he himself visited Cholistan, Bahwalnagar, he found that police officials of the Punjab were involved in hiding and tampering with the facts by pressurizing the local medicals officials to destroy the facts.
He said that he has been stressing for the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) but police were not cooperating till a new lady DPO of Bahwalnagar took over the charge. DPO Bahwalnagar Amara Athar informed the committee that police were neglecting the evidence prior to her and she has registered the FIR and is probing the case.
Taking serious notice of the negligence, the committee recommended that Deputy Commissioner Bahawalnagar must be transferred immediately and an inquiry be initiated against him for declaring the cause of death of three girls as 'natural death' without any investigation and proper post mortem. The chairman committee directed the Ministry of Interior to thoroughly supervise the investigations and ensure that the criminals are taken to task.
Minister of State on Interior Sheheryar Khan Afirdi said that he was hurt to know about this tragedy and assured the committee that he will be supervising the investigation.
The committee considered "Islamabad Pure Food Authority Bill, 2018," introduced by Senator Azam Khan Swati. The committee appreciated the efforts of Senator Swati for taking the initiative to introduce the separate food act for Islamabad. After thorough discussion on the bill, the committee referred the bill to Ministry of Law for its input.