Islamabad:
The Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP) asked the Supreme Court to reject the petitions contesting the abolition of voting rights for the Pakistanis abroad.
The electoral supervisor submitted a written response with the higher court in this regard. In its response, the surveys surveillance body said that petitions are disputing recent modifications to the election law. The Commission stressed that it had already carried out a pilot project on the Internet vote (vote I) in the elections at Parliament in October 2018, the results of which were submitted to the Parliament for examination.
The ECP also declared that in accordance with the Supreme Court directive, a third -party audit of the pilot project was carried out. The audit report concluded that the voting system I was neither secure nor capable of ensuring the privacy of voters.
It is the prerogative of the Parliament to determine the method by which the Pakistanis abroad can vote, argued the ECP, adding that the legislature could, if it decides, promulgate laws allowing to vote abroad by embassies or other means.
