2 June 2016

4
Thursday, June 2, 2016
National
Nurse falls unconscious in Lahore
protest due to scorching heat
KARACHI: Head office: 509, Land Mark Plaza, I.I Chundrigar Road, Karachi, Pakistan.
Ph: +9221-32214988- 32214990, Fax: +9221-32214989
messengerdaily@yahoo.com, editor@dailymessenger.com.pk
Chief Editor: Muhammad Taqi Alvi
Associate Editor: Ali Razavi - Hyderabad Bureau Chief: Abbas Kassar
ISLAMABAD –– LAHORE –– RAWALPINDI –– KARACHI
EVM or Electronic Voting Machine is claimed by
its domestic suppliers to be viable enough to stop
electoral fraud and implement reforms whereas
some election officials themselves have cast doubts that
EVM can block rigging in elections, saying that paper
ballots were much more viable than easily manipulative
electronic voting system and that EVM cannot ensure fair,
free, transparent and honest elections.Controversy, meanwhile,
rages on both positive and negative aspects thereof,
with viewpoints for and against it: Agreement overall,
despite whatever any decision may be, after everything is
said and done, is that reforms against fraud are compulsory
and long overdue, with hundred per cent courage of
convictions against corrupt and bad governance countrywide.
There appears to be near universal agreement that
electoral reforms are needed in Pakistan.
Reforms have many different facets and amazingly
contradictory aspects too, with most talking for reforms
but acting against reforms, like almost all governments
who happen to be in power at one time or another, and
may be that's why there is no commonly agreed agenda
which must be discussed and formulated by one and all
who represent the nation and get a comprehensive
reforms plan made a reality in action.
Operation of the electronic voting is reportedly simple:
One inserts one's CNIC into EVM to get biometric verification,
then selects a party or candidate to vote for by
pressing its flag or electoral symbol, and selects candidates.
A duly recorded printed paper thereof comes out of
EVM used. Local suppliers said that locally supplied
machines were better and with a proper handler can guarantee
honest recordings as they cannot be hacked or
hooked like imported EVM which can be controlled by
satellites from outside Pakistan to change its results.
Rigging is no small matter and with an EVM stroke
address one of the key issues that have surrounded every
election since the foundation of the state — namely ballot
rigging. EVMs first made an appearance in the 1960s and
have slowly been adopted internationally. They are not
without their detractors and there have been well-documented
instances where EVMs have recorded wrong
results, but there is nothing in the literature to suggest that
an electoral outcome would have been reversed as a result
of flaws in the EVM hardware or software. The last
Indian election was conducted using EVMs, and many
countries in South America have been using them without
difficulty for a decade.
Whatever their deficits, the benefits of using EVMs in
a country such as Pakistan that has a high proportion of
illiterates in the population, are clear.
Laws need to be amended to introduce and practice
EVM technology. It is going to require Parliament to
amend the electoral law to allow the introduction of an
electronic voting and biometric verification system.
Strangely enough, an exercise to select a vendor for
EVMs was carried out before the 2013 election, but never
progressed because Parliament never passed the required
legislation. There are those for whom the advent of the
EVM will be bad news indeed as whilst rigging in terms
of electronic manipulation of machines and results is possible
depending on the type of machine selected. It is also
extremely difficult to achieve and requires technical competencies
that are thin on the ground in Pakistan. Any
reform that brings greater transparency to the electoral
process is to be welcomed, and the EVM is long overdue.
Pricing of EVM is a bone of contention. It is not going
to be a cheap exercise, as each EVM with specifications
to beat a highly fraudulent election practices may cost
around $5,000. Fears are raised that instead of starting of
reforms, buying an EVM itself may involve kickbacks
and commissions, bribery and pocketing of illegitimate
money for both its proper and improper handling, to show
a true or a false result: Unlawful money is made on both
the legal and illegal side. Some contend that EVM costs a
lot less and its price may be mentioned many times more
than its original price!
Specifications and handlings required may of course
reasonably up an EVM price and expense to operate it. It
may reportedly cost over Rs 80 billion to go for electronic
poll in general elections as Pakistan will need 360,000
Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs to hold general
elections. ECP initially floats tenders in international market
for 400 EVMs for pilot project. Each EVM in international
market is said to range from 200 US dollars to
4,000 US dollars. As a pilot project, the bidders hold
mock polls on a few hundred of polling stations using the
By Albert Hunt
Anumber of Republicans rationalise Donald
Trump’s proposals on immigration and trade as
just political show. Similarly, some free-trade
Democrats suggest that Hillary Clinton’s protectionist
stance is merely rhetoric.
They are deluded. Academic research and recent history
show that newly-elected presidents of the United
States try to hew closely to their campaign commitments.
“New presidents actually believe they have a mandate,
feel empowered,” says Shirley Anne Warshaw, a
presidential scholar at Gettysburg College. “There is no
EDITORIAL
Can EVM be viable enough to stop
electoral fraud and make reforms?
(I)
OPINION
EVMs. Some such polls within and outside Pakistan
failed to give a honest result without fraud! Terms of
Reference (ToR) prepared by the Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP) said that vendors will provide a complete
solution that include hardware and software, testing,
delivering and other necessary support to conduct successful
pilot project.. Each candidate/party should be listed
in Urdu language along with a party symbol on the ballot.
Time for average vote cast for two parallel election
contests on one EVM should be less than a minute.
ECP has sought the machines to be in custody of security
personnel for protecting the EVMs from being stolen
as data configuration of each EVM with its corresponding
polling station shall be loaded in a secured and enclosed
air-conditioned area.The ECP seeks bidders that could
provide the EVMs that have internal source of power and
should have minimum 12-hour continuous usage.
External source of power should remain an option as a
backup. Besides, the machines should be in a container
that should be dust, fire and water-proof. Each EVM
should be able to cope with wide range of temperature)-
10 to +50 degree Celsius. Such a single EVM would cost
4000 US dollars. It will jack up the total cost to Rs160 billion.
ECP is searching for the machine that costs 2000 US
dollars. It invites those bidders who would provide EVMs
in which every activity will be logged and stored for internal
audit trail. If any unathorised person would try to open
EVM, it will give ‘Error’or ‘dump’. After pressing voting
button for casting vote to any particular candidate, the
EVM will give loud beep, light flash and a paper audit
trail with LCD screen displaying the symbol for which the
voter pressed the button and cast vote.The successful vendor
will be required to provide turnkey solution that
includes manufacturing, software development, testing,
delivery, configuration, deployment at polling stations
and training of polling staff.
Election rigging scandals have sparked a conversation
on the merits of using electronic voting machines
(EVMs). The Election Commission of Pakistan had in the
past announced that it was considering a switch to EVMs
for the next general elections. The rationale is that these
machines will fix the glaring security defects in our electoral
system and prevent a repeat of the 2013 general elections
fiasco. EVMs automate the election process, considerably
reducing the role of the administrative human
element. They prevent individual voters from casting
multiple votes. They do not rely on returning and presiding
officers to tally election results, and they cannot be
subverted by printing truckloads of fake ballot papers.
World over, EVMs are receiving considerable attention,
especially nowadays in the developing world:
Namibia won accolades for becoming the first African
nation to successfully implement an electronic voting system.
Brazil, Paraguay, Panama, Venezuela and Mexico
have all begun experimenting with EVMs. Closer to
home, India has been using EVMs since 1999 and the
Indian election commission personnel swear by their
‘infallible’ voting system. The enthusiasm has also infected
Bangladesh, and a team of MPs visited India to look at
the system.
Unfortunately, there is a pronounced disconnect
between the shiny image of EVMs ushering in a new era
of democratic progress and the cold hard facts on the
ground worldwide. EVMs have been subjected to intense
scrutiny in the last 15 years and the unanimous verdict in
the engineering and research community is that their reliability
and security is abysmal. Not average, not poor, but
downright abysmal. For one, EVMs malfunction in
unpredictable ways during polls. Machines have been
known to flip votes, double them, subtract them, and misreport
tallies for no apparent reason. A video from the
2012 US presidential election, which went viral, shows a
voting machine automatically switching votes cast for
Barack Obama to Mitt Romney. In the Congressional race
in late 2014, some machines in Maryland assigned
Republican votes to the Democrats. It took several tries
for the machine to recognise the vote properly. In one US
county election, a malfunction ignored over 5,000 cast
votes — roughly one-third of the total votes cast in the
election. Inexplicable vote-flipping has also been
observed in machines in India. There are countless such
examples. The problem is not simply that securing EVMs
is hard. Academics and security professionals have routinely
discovered, with much dismay and frustration, that
the people who build and operate these machines seem to
lack even basic security sensibility.
US voters should take candidates seriously
reason to think it would be any different this time.”
Thus, politicians and voters should assume that a
President Trump will start deporting millions of undocumented
immigrants and building a wall along the
Mexican border, threaten China with a trade war, roll
back regulations concerning Wall Street and the environment
and make nice with Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
The assumption should be that a President Clinton
will seek to boost taxes on the wealthy, initiate a plethora
of new social programmes that fall well short of what
Bernie Sanders has advocated and stymie the proposed
Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord.
LAHORE: Members of Young Nurses Association chant slogans for acceptance of their
demands during protest demonstration outside Punjab Assembly building .
LAHORE, Jun 1: A nurse in
ongoing protest at Mall Road
in Lahore fell unconscious
LARKANA, Jun 1: The meeting
of Departmental
Promotion Committee No 1
was held in Karachi in which
33 Additional Private
Secretaries of Sindh
Secretariat with BS-16 were
promoted as Private Secretary
(BS-17) on regular basis. The
promoted officials belong to
Health, Finance, Education,
Law, SPPRA, E&T,
SGA&CD, Agriculture,
Antiquities, Anti-Corruption,
Protocol Cell, Home, NPIW,
CM House, Cooperation and
P&D Departments.
A notification in this regard
has been issued that include
the names of Ghulam Rasool,
Raashid Hussain, Sajid Ali
Samoo, Zamir Usmani,
Pervaiz Khokhar, Ashique
Memon, Gul Muhammad
Dharejo, Karam Khan
Leghari, Wajid Ali,
Hafeezullah Kalhoro, Suhail
Ansari, Assad Illahi,
due to scorching hot weather,
reported on Wednesday.
Young Nurses have continued
their protest on third
day across the Punjab for the
acceptance of their demands
Zubairuddin, Nizamuddin
Solangi, Muhammad Ali
Lashari, Amanullah, Syed
Sajid Mahmood, Anwar
Hussain, Mashooq Lund,
Mukesh Meghwar, Amjad
Hussain, Afzal Memon,
Shafique Ujjan, Faiz Pitafi,
Hizbullah Mangi, Inayatullah
Abbasi, Maqsood Baladi,
Shahid Rabbani, Aijaz Bhatti,
Ghulam Mustafa Soomro,Asif
Dahri, Syed Noor Muhammad
and Ghulam Mustafa Memon.
amid blistering hot weather.
According to details, the
protest was demonstrated on
the call of Young Nurses
Association in which, the
protesters chanted slogans
against the local government
for not approving their basic
demands.
The nurses urged the government
to endorse service
structure and maintain health
allowance as early as possible.
They also demanded
early restoration of suspended
colleagues.
The staffers while holding
placards blocked Mall Road
in Lahore which badly irked
residents.
On the other hand, another
employee landed in hospital
as railway workers took to the
street against the authorities.
33 Additional Private
Secretaries promoted to BPS-17 Waheed Phulpoto
Discharge of industrial wastewater in Phuleli termed
human health hazard: DG EPA Sindh takes notice
Technical education
only way to end
unemployment: Akram
Our Correspondent
HYDERABAD,Jun 1:
President Hyderabad Small
Chamber of Trade and
Industry Muhammad Akram
Ansari has said only way to
end unemployment in country
was to attract youth to get technical
education. He was
addressing a seminar in chamber
here under which training’s
improved projects for TUET
support. The project has been
launched in collaboration with
EU,Germany, Holland and
Norway assistance since 2011.
Under this project reforms
have been introduced in system
of technical education and
professional training. Due to
which youth would be trained
according to needs of market.
On this occasion briefing was
given on cooperative vocational
training.
MA Rehmani
MIRPURKHAS, Jun 1: Syed
Mehdi ALI Shah Deputy
Commissioner Mirpurkhas
talking to the correspondent
of Daily Messenger. The 3 -
days National Mango and
Summar Fruits Festival
Mirpurkhas is poised to kick
off on Thursday, here ; the
festival has a host of attracting
features which include a
traditional exhibition of variety
of mangos and summer
fruits for wich the area is
r e n o w n e d
Other features of the event
included, seminar, cycling,
cricket, cricket for special
persons, football, kodi, kabdi,
Abbas Kassar
HYDERABAD, Jun 1:
Director General Sindh
Environmental Protection
Agency Naeem Ahmed
Mughal held meeting with
Sindh Industrial Trading
Estate Association here last
evening in connection with
industrial waster affluent in
Phuleli canal and has take
notice of its hazards on
human health. These industrial
units include Paper Mills,
Textile Mills,Pharmaceutical,
Food Industries, Auto Motors
and Cereal, Flour, Rice and
Oil Mills. DG EPA said the
release of untreated water
waste from industries in
Phuleli canal was causing significance
pollution making
water quality unfit for human
consumption. It may be mentioned
here that Old Phuleli
Canal taking of from Kotri
family festival family musical
programme and fireworks.
Chief Minister Sindh, Syed
Qaim Ali Shah will be the
chief guest at the prize distribution
and concluding ceremony
while, the festival is to
be inaugurated by Chief
Barrage was source of water
for millions of people of
Hyderabad, Tando
Muhammad Khan, Badin,
Thatta, Sujawal down
towards Shah Bundder and
Jati for drinking and domestic
and agriculture use.
During the meeting
Director General EPA Sindh
has stressed on the installation
oftreatment plant in various
factories.
PPP Kadhan Councillors oppose
nomination of Jehan Chandio as chairman
Majeed Mallah
BADIN, June 1, 2016: 3 elected
councilors Kadhan of district
Badin belonging to
Pakistan Peoples Party have
raised objections on nomination
of Jehan Khan Chandio as
chairman. Abdul Jabbar
Arfani, Ghulam Hussain
Jamali and Noor M Mallah
addressing news conference at
Badin press club said they
have reservations on nomination
of Jehan Khan Chandio
who has been nominated by
PPP for chairmanship of
Kadhan town committee. They
said Jehan Khan was a turncoat
who has been changing
parties.He was last time with
Arbab Rahim as such they
would never accept him as
chairman. It may be mentioned
that Kadhan town committee
consists of 4 councillors out of
whom 3 have objected chairmanship
for Jehan Khan. They
said if any Jialo of PPP was not
made chairman of Kadhan
they may resign.
Secretary Sind, Mr.
Muhmmad Siddique Memon.
The administration has,
in collaboration with the
growers and members of the
management committee
finalized adequate measures
with a view to make it a
Young milk
seller killed
SHIKARPUR, Jun 1: A
young milk seller was killed
near Dargah Bhudhal Fakir
over an old enmity between
two groups of Shar and
Kehar tribesmen in the jurisdiction
of Sultan kot Police
Station on Wednesday at
6PM.
According to SHO Sultan
Kot Imtiaz Ahmed Chaki, a
young milk seller identified
as Abdul Rahim son of
Hazoor Bakhsh Shar was
busy to sell the milk when six
persons riding on three
motorcycles opened indiscriminate
firing on him, SHO
added.
As a result of firing,Abdul
Rahim Shar of 35, was killed
on the spot while assailants
fled away from place of firing
after committing crime. Area
police rushed on the spot and
dead body of the deceased
shifted to district headquarters
hospital for postmortem and
other formalities from where
the dead body of the deceased
milk seller handed over to his
relatives after conducting
postmortem examination.
Two killed, seven
injured in Indus
Highway accident
SEHWAN SHARIF, Jun 1:
Two people were killed and
seven others injured in a collision
between a truck and a
Mazda in Amri locality near
Sehwan Sharif on Wednesday.
A head-on collision
occurred between a truck and
a Mazda on Indus Highway
near Sehwan Sharif. As a
result, two persons Shakeel
Bughio and Yousuf died on
the spot, while seven people
sustained injuries, who
include Ameen Bughio, Amir,
Rizwanullah, and Juma Khan.
Kashmiris determined to achieve right to
self-determination: Sardar Yaqoob
ISLAMABAD, Jun 1: President Azad Kashmir
Sardar Yaqoob Khan has called upon India to
opt for a democratic way in solving the longstanding
issue of Kashmir.
He was addressing a seminar highlighting
the Kashmir issue organized by Mirpur
University of Science and Technology here on
Wednesday.
He said Kashmiris should be given their
rights. He said that India has crossed all limits
of barbarism but Kashmiri people are determined
to achieve their goal of freedom.
Mango Festival is poised to kick off on
Thursday: Syed Mehdi Ali Shah
mega event aimed at providing
a huge exposure to
variety of mangoes and
summar fruits in commercial
perspective, besides,
providings recreational and
entertainment facilities to
the citizens.
MIRPURKHAS: Additional Deputy Commissioner, Asghar Joya review arrangements of
sports competition on the occasion of Mango Festival.