Pakistan to introduce EVMs in two years

The new system would stamp out illegal electoral practices

Pakistan has decided to introduce electronic voting machines (EVMs) in two years before the next general elections due in 2018, an election commission official has said.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the government to introduce legal amendments enabling the use of modern techniques like EVMs.

Legal barrier in the way of introducing the technology should be removed during the next two months so that the commission should start its work on the pilot project next year, ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said yesterday.

He said the new system, which was already widely used around the world, would stamp out illegal electoral practices.

"It will resolve the issues of printing of ballot papers and counting and compilation of results," he said.

Each new voting machine would cost around $300 and the country needs at least 1,50,000 machines for about 70,000 polling stations in the country.