The Election Commission has opposed the use of internet voting for overseas Pakistanis.
Overseas Indians can only vote by coming to India in person, and internet voting is allowed only for diplomats.
ISLAMABAD ( WEB NEWS )
The Election Commission has opposed the use of internet voting for overseas Pakistanis, stating that it poses a risk of hacking. The commission emphasized that internet voting should not be used in general elections. A briefing was provided to the Senate Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs on Tuesday, chaired by Humayun Mehmood, where Election Commission officials discussed the issue of granting overseas Pakistanis the right to vote online. The officials explained that only Austria allows internet voting for its citizens, and there are concerns about the risks of hacking by private individuals or foreign hackers. They informed the committee that the Election Commission had already alerted the government about these risks, which is why they oppose the use of internet voting in the general elections.
The officials also pointed out that overseas Indians can only vote by coming to India in person, and internet voting is allowed only for diplomats. They further explained that in India, overseas citizens can nominate a relative to vote on their behalf, and if they are abroad, they are permitted to use postal ballots.
During the meeting, Senator Sarmad Ali raised a question about dual citizenship holders not being allowed to become parliamentarians and asked how they could vote. He argued that if overseas Pakistanis are allowed to vote, they should also be allowed to contest elections. He also questioned why judges and bureaucrats are allowed dual citizenship when parliamentarians are not.
Senator Pervez Rashid suggested that a committee delegation should visit Saudi Arabia to convince Pakistanis there to vote. However, Kamran Murtaza pointed out that political activities are prohibited in Saudi Arabia, and the committee should be cautious to avoid any legal issues. Senator Shibli Faraz proposed that the government send letters to all embassies, and based on their responses, a solution could be reached. He also stressed that while there is talk about preventing election rigging, no concrete actions have been taken to address the issue. He argued that India’s elections, despite being controversial, have led to progress, while Pakistan’s elections remain contentious. As the former Minister for Science and Technology, he mentioned that he had once developed a local e-voting machine and challenged anyone to hack it, but the Election Commission had no intention of implementing e-voting.
The committee chairman raised the question of whether a constitutional amendment is needed to introduce e-voting, to which Kamran Murtaza responded that he is concerned about the results of the 2018 and 2024 elections.