ECP opposes giving expatriates e-voting rights

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Tuesday opposed giving the e-voting right to expatriates, as it involved the risk of hacking.

This observation from the ECP officials came during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs chaired by Dr. Humayun Mohmand of PTI.

The forum was briefed by the Election Commission officials on the e-voting right.

The committee was told that parliament was divided on whether or not to allow e-voting, and the majority of political parties were not in favor of e-voting, especially during the general elections.

The committee was told that the right to vote through the internet was not available in any country except Austria.

The Election Commission, they pointed out, had informed the government that private and foreign hackers might create problems and that e-voting should not be used at all in the general elections.

However, they pointed out that the overseas Indians could also vote but in their country. They explained that if an expatriate having only Indian citizenship was abroad, then he could cast a postal ballot, whereas this right was exclusively allowed to diplomats around the world.

The Election Commission officials told the committee that the Indian expatriates could nominate a close relative to vote, and if an Indian was abroad, then he was allowed to cast a postal ballot.

Leader of the Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz suggested that letters should be written to the embassies of all countries, including Saudi Arabia, and a solution should be found according to the response of embassies.

“We should admit that we talk about preventing rigging in elections but do not take steps to stop it; e-voting or whatever method should be discussed for a solution. If we cannot make our own elections non-controversial, how will we progress?” he remarked.

Shibli recalled as the minister of science and technology, he had an e-voting machine developed locally and challenged someone to hack it and show it. He claimed the Election Commission did not intend to have e-voting system.

The committee chairman asked whether the Constitution should be amended for e-voting, to which Kamran Murtaza referred to the results of 2018 and 2024 elections, being scary for him.

PPP Senator Sarmad Ali asked if dual citizens could not become members of parliament, then how they could vote. Otherwise, they should be allowed to contest elections. He continued that if members of parliament could not be given the right to dual citizenship, then why bureaucrats and judges had the right to dual citizenship. Senator Pervez Rashid of PMLN said they were going with a delegation of the committee to convince Pakistanis, including in Saudi Arabia, to vote. JUI-Fazl’s Kamran Murtaza said political delegations should not visit Saudi Arabia, as political activities were prohibited there.