ISLAMABAD: A senior election commission official told a parliamentary committee on Thursday he could not answer every question about the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) at this stage, though he acknowledged it would be "challenging" to deploy these devices during the next polls in the country.
The use of EVMs for the next general elections was sanctioned by a joint parliamentary sitting on Wednesday, though opposition factions resisted the move and vowed to challenge it in the country's top court.
The government has pushed for the use of technology to make future Pakistani elections fairer and more transparent, though its political rivals accuse it of trying to manipulate the voting system by introducing technology which has not been tested in the country before.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary faced tough questions on Thursday by some members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice who wondered if these devices would work in underdeveloped regions like Balochistan where people lacked access to the internet.
"I can't answer all your questions at this time," The Express Tribune quoted him as saying. "There are challenges in using the EVMs. There will be three to four more pilot projects related to the use of EVMs. It is yet to be determined how many EVMs would be required at one polling station."
The ECP raised 37 objections to the use of these devices in September, warning such machines were prone to tampering and their software could be hacked.
The election regulatory body also pointed out the use of these devices would require a large number of trained operators.
It added that a hasty move toward electronic voting in the country could jeopardize the ECP’s constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair and transparent elections in which voter secrecy was ensured.