Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi Monday stressed the need to expedite electoral reforms in line with the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s directives to enable overseas Pakistanis to cast their votes through internet voting.

The president, chairing a meeting to discuss the requirements and specifications of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), said the Federal Government wanted to facilitate and support the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in implementing the electoral reforms particularly i-voting for the expatriates and use of EVMs in polls.

He expressed the hope that i-voting and EVMs would greatly help promote transparency and ensure the credibility of the country’s electoral process.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati, ECP Secretary Dr. Akhtar Nazir, Secretary of Science and Technology Nadeem Irshad Kayani, and senior government officials.

The Ministry of Science and Technology briefed the meeting about the specifications and design of the EVM. It was informed that they were actively working on designing the prototype EVM as per existing specifications provided by the stakeholders.

The president appreciated the efforts of the relevant organizations in supporting the electoral reform process.