ISLAMABAD: The PPP on Tuesday questioned the credibility of the online voting system overseas Pakistanis will use to vote in the upcoming by-elections in 37 national and provincial constituencies.

In a statement, Leader of the Opposition in Senate Senator Sherry Rehman said it was “worrisome and dangerous that a project of this scale is being rolled out in haste”, adding: “How is this untested system going to be used for the upcoming by-polls?”

Senator Rehman, who is also the vice president of the PPPP, said: “The system came with no guarantees and this has emphatically been highlighted by PPP. Not that PPP is against voting of overseas residents but it is the system, the mode of implementation that is the main concern. It is important to note that the task force set up by the [Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)] had, itself, expressed reservations. A lot of red flags can be raised by simply looking at the outset of this initiative.”

First, she said, the system “should go through multiple trials and scrutiny by experts in online voting technology and the parliament”.

She said the identity verification process, which involves private email servers open to data miners and manipulation, “does not make sense”. “Why not use the already established fingerprint system and database that we have,” she asked, adding: “This is being used all over the world even by major financial institutions. If we are to do this, we should do it right out of respect for the sanctity of each vote and to uphold the legitimacy of our democratic process.”

Senator Rehman added that if the project goes forward as is, meaning without oversight by experts or by parliament, it will be open to criticism and questions regarding its credibility. She said the iVoting system must be “thoroughly debated in both houses of parliament”.

“If ECP cannot handle the results transmission system (RTS) in Pakistan, how are we supposed to trust them with iVoting in foreign lands beyond their jurisdiction? This is a legitimate question that they must provide a solid answer to,” she said.

The ECP must also ensure that the software is foolproof and the process is transparent, she said.

Senator Rehman asked: “What mechanisms are in place to guarantee that there will be no manipulation and tampering of votes? Are there any additional safeguards for places flagged as high risk areas for voter fraud?”

Like most technology, the iVoting system is vulnerable and difficult to protect without expertise, she said.

“Does the ECP have a guideline on how it will respond and guard the system from cybercrime, particularly hacking? What is the standard operating procedure in the event that the system fails, crashes or gets hacked?”

“There are around eight million overseas Pakistanis and for the 37 constituencies in this by-poll, there are over 600,000 overseas Pakistanis who may cast their votes. Their votes have the capability to change how elections turn-out in Pakistan.

“Haphazardly introducing an important project like this will only further cast a shadow of doubt on an already controversial and highly-contested election. The government and the ECP must do its due diligence and ensure that it has done everything in its power to assure the nation that the technology will not be compromised. Anything less than that is unacceptable,” Senator Rehman said.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2018