ECP asks NADRA reasons for closure of I-voting system
September 16, 2021 04:30 PM
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) are presently on a collision course over the closure of the internet-voting (I-voting) system, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.
In a letter to the NADRA chairman, the chief election commissioner (CEC) has asked him to tell as to why internet voting was stopped when Rs66.5 million had been spent on its launch.
The CEC has made it clear to the NADRA chief that executing a new mode of holding elections is ECP’s, and not NADRA’s, responsibility. “ECP has been let down by the NADRA’s unilateral decision of putting an end to I-voting,” reads the letter.
It adds that by keeping the ECP in dark about the development, the NADRA has given an impression as if the election commission is subordinate to it. “It appears as if the NADRA is ordering the commission,” the CEC writes.
Referring to NADRA’s desire which the Authority had conveyed to the ECP through a letter, he says that before entering into a new agreement of worth Rs2.4 billion with the election commission on I-voting; why not first identify those who are responsible for the weaknesses in the present system.
Reporter Zeeshan Bhatti