ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: President Dr. Arif Alvi has urged that the secrecy of vote and transparency in the Internet-voting process must be ensured while developing an electronic voting system.
In his remarks while presiding over a meeting to review the progress on the Electronic Voting Systems (EVS) at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Tuesday, the president said that the I-voting system should be transparent and the people should have complete confidence in it.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary IT and Telecommunication Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, the Secretary to President Tariq Najeeb Najmi, and the Chairman NADRA Usman Yousaf Mobin.
Officials from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and NADRA were also present in the meeting.
During the meeting, the president was briefed about the steps being taken for establishing an effective and reliable I-Voting system for Overseas Pakistanis.
It was apprised that all measures are being taken for the development of a foolproof voting system.
The president was also briefed about the technical efficacy, secrecy, and safety aspects of the system.
The EVS being developed had been pilot tested in the bye-elections, the meeting was informed, and independent evaluation of the system would also be conducted.
The meeting underscored the primacy of putting the system to test prior to poll-day to detect and overcome any technical issues.
President Arif Alvi remarked that the I-voting system should be transparent and people should have complete confidence in it. He also highlighted the importance of maintaining voters’ secrecy and fulfilling all the legal requirements.
The president stressed that the system should be efficiently possessing the technical capacity to cater the large number of overseas voters on poll-day.
Dr. Arif Alvi directed that a committee of experts to be formed to assess the technical capacity and reliability of the system and to propose possible solutions. The report along with recommendations would be presented before the Parliament.
