Prime Minister Imran Khan said Thursday that Electronic Voting Machines be will used at the next elections "at all costs."

He was addressing the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf's core committee when he told them his government will grant overseas Pakistanis the right to vote.

This move has been heavily criticized by the opposition who say the EVM will be used to tip the election in the current government's favor.

Earlier this week, while addressing a rally in Peshawar, head of the Pakistan Democratic Movement Maulana Fazlur Rehman said his party "will not accept electoral reforms handed over to us by thieves."

The government, however, especially Khan, say the use of the EVM will end decades of blame of rigged elections as it will bring transparency.

Last month, in an address to a ceremony in Islamabad, Khan described those opposing the EVM as a mafia.

"In Pakistan, all the problems start after the end of polling. There is a small section who take advantage of the corrupt system. They are our greatest enemy," he said.

Khan has long been a vocal supporter of using technology in the elections saying one never hears of voter fraud in western countries as they have an effective system in place.

In August, he tweeted an image of himself with the EVM they hope to use in 2023 elections.

However, the Election Commission has also expressed some reservations about the EVM and cautioned the speed with which the government wants to push through these reforms.

At a meeting of the Senate committee on September 8, the election commission listed 37 reservations, saying there was not enough time for such a large scale implementation of the EVMs.

In related news, the science minister Shibli Faraz visited the MQM offices to discuss the use of technology in the next elections.