In a major development amid its growing political chaos, Pakistan on Friday passed the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022, which seeks to remove the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in general elections.
The law also disallows overseas Pakistanis from internet voting, reports the Dawn newspaper.
The development came a day after former prime minister Imran Khan issued a six-day ultimatum for the government to announce a fresh election schedule, and amid talks about the possibility of early elections in the country.
The political situation took a dramatic turn since Khan's ouster through a no-trust vote last month -- a major change he claims to be the result of "foreign conspiracy".
Passed in the Senate, the upper house of the House, the bill now only needs the president's assent to become a law.
The bill was first cleared in the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan’s parliament, on Thursday.
Before placing it in the NA then, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi presented a motion for allowing the bill to be sent directly to the Senate for its approval, bypassing the relevant standing committee.
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Dr Shahzad Waseem, said the opposition would not allow anyone to "rob" overseas Pakistanis of their right to vote or compromise on the use of EVMs.
Prior to that, when Abbasi presented the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022 amid chants of "no, no" from the opposition, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani asked whether the bill should be sent to the relevant committee.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer replied that the committee had already approved the bill. He clarified that overseas Pakistanis had not been deprived of their right to vote.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had been asked to ensure voting rights while assuring secrecy, he added.
"The ECP said we will not be able to conduct elections [using electronic voting machines]. The Election Commission should ensure overseas Pakistanis can vote."
Meanwhile, a debate is also taking place on whether to use EVMs in the next parliamentary polls in Bangladesh.
Opposition parties allege that the EVMs will be misused to manipulate the result of the election, but the ruling party defends their use.
In such a situation, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on Tuesday said they were not yet fully confident about the use of EVMs at the next parliamentary elections slated for 2023.
