ISLAMABAD: Refus­ing to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in much-delayed local government elections in Punjab, the Election Com­m­i­ssion of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday asked Punjab to amend its laws and do away with provisions rela­ted to EVMs and i-voting.

The commission, which met here with Chief Elec­tion Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja in the chair, discussed preparations for LG polls in Punjab and Islamabad.

The meeting was told that the process of registration of electoral groups in Punjab will be completed by July 17 and the ECP was ready to hold LG polls in the province.

The meeting was told that under Section 47(1) of the Punjab Local Government Act, EVMs were required to be used in the electoral exercise and the voters were supposed to get the facility of i-voting as well.

Though the Punjab government has amended the rules to revoke the conditions of EVMs and i-voting, it is essential to introduce changes to the local government law to ensure that the legislation and its rule do not contradict each other.

The ECP directed the office to write to the Punjab government to amend the law and the rules keeping in view the amendments in sections 94 and 103 of the Elections Act relating to EVMs and i-voting, made by the federal government so that immediate local government elections could be held in the province.

The ECP has been asking the Punjab government to amend the law to do away with the requirement of using EVMs for the upcoming local government polls in the province for a couple of months.

Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja had, during a hearing in October last year termed the Punjab government’s move to conduct LG polls through EVMs “a stunt meant to drag feet on the already delayed electoral exercise”.

Polls in Islamabad

The meeting was told that the commission was ready to conduct the local body elections in the federal capital. However, it was explained that the Ministry of Interior has yet to issue a notification specifying the number of reserved seats in Islamabad. The ministry also has not framed rules on the limit of election expenses for the candidates.

On this, the ECP chief directed the office to send another letter to the ministry for the notification and the formulation of new rules by July 12.

ECP secretary gets extension

Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja extended for another year the contract of ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan with effect from July 9.

Mr Khan had been appointed Secretary ECP In July 2021 on a two-year contract, months after his retirement as the secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research. He has been retained on the same terms offered to and accepted by him under the original contract.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2023