Federal Minister for Science and Technology Senator Syed Shibli Faraz held a meeting with representatives of Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) and UNDP in Ministry of Science and Technology. The members were given a detailed demonstration of working of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and its role in the electoral process. Shibli Faraz Said, “It is the need of time to use technology for improving our electoral system. The EVM reduces the human interface. Hence, it is a tool towards efficient, free and credible elections.” The members asked in detail their questions and concerns regarding the use of EVM. Members of FAFEN and UNDP congratulated and praised the efforts of Minister of Science and Technology Senator Syed Shibli Faraz and also shared their view points about importance of public trust in voting process. The Minister opined that Electronic Voting is the only way forward and Ministry is determined to improve the machine to the maximum level as per requirements of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of Pakistan. Moreover, he said that the government aims to take all stakeholders including opposition on board. Opposition members are invited to join hands in improving the electoral process to make it more credible and reliable. The members from FAFEN were Mr. Muddasir Rizvi (Director Programme) and Mr. Ghulam Sarwar Bari (Ex- Chairperson FAFEN) while team from UNDP included Mr. Darren Scott Nance (Chief Technical Advisor) and Mr. Muhammad Qasim Janjua (Training Specialist). Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology Dr. Akhtar Nazir was also part of the meeting.
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