ISLAMABAD: Electiojn Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that it was disappointed with the tone adopted by National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), adding that it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to implement any new procedure for holding elections.

In a letter to the NADRA chairman, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has asked him to tell as to why internet voting was stopped when Rs66.5 million had been spent on its launch.

It adds that by keeping the ECP in dark about the development, the NADRA has given an impression as if the election commission is subordinate to it. “It appears as if the NADRA is ordering the commission,” the CEC writes.

Referring to NADRA’s desire which the Authority had conveyed to the ECP through a letter, he says that before entering into a new agreement of worth Rs2.4 billion with the election commission on I-voting; why not first identify those who are responsible for the weaknesses in the present system.

The CEC has made it clear to the NADRA chief that executing a new mode of holding elections is ECP’s, and not NADRA’s, responsibility. “ECP has been let down by the NADRA’s unilateral decision of putting an end to I-voting,” reads the letter.

It may be recalled that NADRA in its letter had asked the Election Commission to make positive progress on the proposed system of NADRA with regard to i-voting.

Recently, Chairman NADRA Tariq Malik had written a letter to the ECP, asking it to make progress on the proposed system regarding the i-voting system.