The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) may not be able to make the experimental use of the electronic voting machines in September's bye elections due to the dilly-dallying procurement process.
The parliamentary committee on electoral reforms had asked the ECP to execute the pilot project of the EVMs in September bye elections and even the Commission had also given assurance in this regard, said an official talking to APP.
The ECP had initiated the process to purchase 400 EVMs to use them experimentally for the conduct of Pilot Project in bye-election for National Assembly or Provincial Assembly Constituencies but could not purchase so far, he said. "If the experiment is successful, next general elections will be held through electronic voting, Zahid Hamid, chairman of the Sub-Committee had observed.
Additional Director General Pubic Relations of ECP, Suraiya Jamal, talking to APP said that the process of procurement is underway and ECP can not give any final date for use of EVMs in the bye elections.