ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Secretary, Omar Hamid Khan on Thursday said even though the bill regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs) has passed, the ECP is not bound to hold elections according to it.

“It took India 20 years and Brazil 22 years to get themselves on the machines. It will also take us a while to get these machines up and running,” Omar Hamid Khan said briefing a meeting of the members of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice, chaired by Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) MNA Riaz Fatyana.

The secretary said it was not essential for the election commission to use the machines immediately after the bill was passed. “We are under no obligation to use the machines,” he said.

“There are challenges in using EVMs. We cannot say anything with surety, whether the use of EVMs will be applicable in the next elections or not,” he said.

Omar Khan said the EVMs would have to go through 14 steps before being used in general elections. There would be three to four more pilot projects related to the use of the EVMs, he maintained.

“How many electronic voting machines there will be at a polling station also remains to be figured out,” he said. He said the state institution was also working to facilitate overseas Pakistanis.

On this occasion, MNA Aalia Kamran raised some very interesting questions including how the EVM machine would be used in the areas where there was no internet service.

“People of Balochistan barely go for casting vote, how will they go for casting vote on the EVM?” she asked.