Committee to discuss voting rights for overseas Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary committee on electoral reforms is meeting here on Thursday to hear again from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on issues of voters’ biometric verification, use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voting by overseas Pakistanis in the next general elections.

In the previous meeting of the sub-committee of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Election Reforms held last month, ECP and Nadra officials had informed members about the possible technical and legal difficulties in the use of EVMs, voters’ biometric verification process and voting by overseas Pakistanis.

Know more: Overseas Pakistanis can’t vote in 2018: ECP

At that meeting, Nadra officials had raised a number of questions about the security of Nadra’s data if provided for online or offline verification of voters during elections. Similarly, ECP officials had informed members of the committee, headed by Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid, the mock exercise carried out for the voting by overseas Pakistanis in four countries had completely failed.

The crux of the briefings by Nadra and ECP officials was that it might not be possible for them to introduce EVMs, voters’ biometric verification system and devise a mechanism for voting by overseas Pakistanis by the next elections due in 2018.

However, members, particularly of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), had expressed dissatisfaction over the ECP and Nadra response over the issue and asked them to come up with reports in the next meeting as to how technical and legal difficulties could be removed.

Convener of the sub-committee Zahid Hamid told reporters after the meeting that Nadra had expressed some security concerns with regard to introducing biometric verification system in elections. However, he said, the committee had sought its final report on the issue within two weeks.

In the previous meeting, ECP officials had also told the committee that they had written a letter to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to prepare a third-part feasibility report on the issue for granting right of vote to overseas Pakistanis and its mechanism. The UNDP was asked to submit its recommendations to the ECP as early as possible.

When contacted, Arif Alvi, a PTI member of the committee, alleged that the ECP had already wasted so much time in finalising its plan for voting by overseas Pakistanis. He alleged that the ECP lacked capability and the will to help overseas Pakistanis on the issue.

Mr Alvi stated the committee was yet to take a final decision regarding use of EVMs, biometric verification of voters and voting by the overseas Pakistanis.

The committee will take up on Thursday the same agenda it had discussed in its meeting last month.

Besides seeking briefings by ECP and Nadra officials, the committee will discuss the issue of the appointment, powers and functions of caretaker governments. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Barrister Zafarullah Khan has been invited to brief committee members on the government’s position on the issue for forming caretaker governments at the time of general elections.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2015