Shibli Faraz, the Federal Minister of Science and Technology, has stated that between 350,000 and 400,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be required to ensure fair and transparent elections, which will be completed in six months.
Shibli Faraz, according to the article, reiterated the Prime Minister’s request and stated that using local technology, National Science and Technology, COMSATS, and the National Institute of Engineering are producing EVMs for half the price of imported equipment to prevent electoral controversies.
He stated that after Eidul Adha, members of the National Assembly and the Election Commission of Pakistan would activate the EVM to promote awareness about its reliability, benefits, and other features.
Shibli Faraz stated that once the EVM is available, it will be used to test the performance in by-elections, indicating that it is the only solution to enhance the electoral process.
He explained that the three institutes have the capacity to produce 2,000 EVMs per day, with each device costing Rs. 65,000, or half the cost of a perfectly functioning imported device.
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In these machines, he stated, the unique paper will be utilised on which the ink will not be erased for 5 days.
He said that counting of votes will be done with the touch of a button and that it would take 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
According to Shibli Faraz, the electronic voting machines will be able to stay operational for two days thanks to batteries, and the machines will be examined for cyber threats.
“However, voter identities will remain anonymous because the data will be kept private.
Any manipulation with the machine, according to the Federal Minister, would be impossible.
“The concept is that qualified persons should be elected as members of parliament,” Shibli Faraz explained. “Fair and transparent elections will improve the work of parliament, and the use of new technology would benefit the entire country.”
