Daily Times

Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz has said that between 350,000 and 400,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs) are needed to ensure fairness and transparency in election and these machines will be set up in six months.

Shibli Faraz while expressing the wish of the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and said that using local technology, National Science and Technology, COMSATS and the National Institute of Engineering are producing EVMs at half the price of imported equipment to avoid controversy in the electoral process.

He said that the members of the National Assembly and the Election Commission of Pakistan would activate the EVM after Eid-ul-Adha to raise awareness about its trust, its benefits, etc.

Shibli Faraz said that proving that the only solution to improve the electoral process is EVM, once the EVM is ready, it will be used to test the performance in the by-elections.

He explained that the three institutes have the capacity to manufacture 2,000 EVMs on a daily basis, each device is estimated at Rs. 65,000, which is half the cost of an imported device to work properly while there is no guarantee that imported device will work properly. .

A special paper will be used in these machines on which the ink will not be removed for 5 days, he stated. .The counting of votes would be done at the push of a button and it could be completed in 30 minutes to an hour.

Shibli Faraz pointed out the EVM would be able to stay active for two days with the help of batteries while the machines would be tested against cyber attacks.

“But voter identities will remain anonymous as the information will be kept confidential. EVMs will operate in areas where the temperature drops from zero to 10 degrees Celsius and also in areas where the mercury is 55 degrees,” he underlined. The Federal Minister said that any tampering with the machine would not be possible. Shibli Faraz said, “The idea is that eligible people should be elected as members of parliament. Fair and transparent elections will enhance the work of parliament and the whole country will benefit from the use of modern technology.”