ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority’s Chairman Usman Mobeen has said that voting through an off-line biometric system is possible.

He informed a sub-committee of the parliamentary panel on electoral reforms, headed by Minister for Science and Technology Zahid Hamid, on Tuesday that verification of voters through the off-line system was possible but a hardware security system would be required to secure data preserved in the machines.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Mr Hamid said the data of voters for each polling station would be saved in separate machines.

The minister of state and officials of the ministry of information technology as well as the Election Commission would review the proposed hardware security system, he said.

He said it was yet to be seen how much time and funds would be required for developing the security system.

The minister said the ECP has made its code of conduct part of the law on the parliamentary committee’s directives.

Now the committee would begin the final review of a consolidated electoral law and rules, he said, expressing hope that the work would be completed soon.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2015