Govt may not be able to Fund Elections where EVMs are not Used: Fawad Chaudhry

Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that there was a likelihood of the govt not being able to fund elections that would not include the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Just recently, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the government for the funds to manufacture EVMs.

Govt may not be able to Fund Elections where EVMs are not Used: Fawad Chaudhry

Speaking after a federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad, he told media persons that the cabinet had discussed the matter at length and agreed that ECP was bound to use EVMs in by-elections.

See Also: EVMs and i-voting are Imperative Parts of Electoral Reforms- Fawad Chaudhry

He said, adding that Law Minister Farogh Naseem had the same point of view

“And one of the points of view [shared in the meeting] was that the government could not fund any election held without [the use of] EVMs as after the recent amendment, the law [only] recognised polls involving the use of EVMs”.

He further said that after deliberating on the matter in light of the recent amendment, the cabinet had formed a committee in this regard and the law ministry would also give its opinion.

Moreover, he said, Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz had shared during today’s cabinet meeting a comprehensive plan on the use of EVMs, which included details such as how many machines would be required.

Highlighting the importance of transparent election in a democratic country, he said that it was important that the ECP was strengthened. And hence, the ECP needed to take such incidents of rigging to their logical conclusion.

Check Also: ECP asks Govt to Release Funds for Electronic Voting Machines

Source: Dawn News

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