ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed Minister for IT& Telecom to ensure that the report of the consultants on i-voting is not delayed and received by May 31, 2021.

At a recent meeting of federal cabinet, seeking the weekly update on introduction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and extending the right of vote to overseas Pakistanis, the Prime Minister underscored the imperativeness of the two initiatives in ensuring free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections.

Electoral Reforms Bill, of which both these measures are a part, was stuck in National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. The main reason for delay was objection by some opposition members in the Committee that the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs could not legally represent the Ministry in Parliament, despite the fact that a ruling to the contrary had already been given by the Speaker.

The cabinet was further informed that the Committee desired that the Minister for Law & Justice should brief them on the Bill. The Prime Minister directed Minister for Law & Justice to resolve the issue and get the Bill cleared from the Committee at the earliest. The Minister for IT & Telecom apprised the Cabinet on introduction of i-voting to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis. On the insistence of the ECP, he revealed that the consultants had been hired, and would submit their recommendations on security, design and other aspects by May 31, 2021.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021