ISLAMABAD: The meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs’ Monday witnessed heated arguments among the lawmakers over the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the next elections.
Senators from the opposition had “serious reservations” over the use of EVMs, while the government side insisted it was the only way to stop rigging during the elections. The meeting started with a briefing from the Ministry of Science and Technology on the use of EVMs.
The meeting was attended by Senator Azam Khan Swati, Sania Nishtar, Abida Mohammad Azeem, Hilal ur Rehman, Farooq H. Naek, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Syed Ali Zafar, Walid Iqbal, Sameena Mumtaz, special invitee Afnan ullah Khan, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, Minister for Science and Technology Syed Shibli Faraz, officials from Election Commission of Pakistan along with the chairman of NADRA.
A detailed multimedia presentation was given by the officials of the ministry on how the machines will work, with a live demo of the voting system.
Questions had been raised by Committee members over the efficacy and security of EVMs during the meeting which was chaired by PPP’s Senator Taj Haider, the publication reported.
