NADRA capable of verifying thumb impressions of voters

The Election Commission has asked NADRA to prepare software for verification of thumb impressions of voters if required by Election Tribunals.

Talking to reporters in Islamabad on Monday‚ Election Commission Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said NADRA would verify thumb impressions only on reference by the commission and tribunals.

He said the Election Tribunals would start working next week.

Khan said the commission had already established fourteen Election Tribunals across the country, of which five were in Punjab and three each in Sindh‚ Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

He said the Election Commission and NADRA had been working as a team for the last three years and had resolved to sort the forthcoming problems together.

Khan said they were trying their utmost to give relief to the candidates under Peoples Representatives Act 1976.

The ECP secretary said demand for verification of votes through thumb prints showed that people had faith in the commission.

NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik said they already had the capability to verify thumb impressions, but it would be expanded to verify 500,000 thumb impressions per day within two weeks.

Malik also announced that software would be developed in two weeks to enhance the capacity of NADRA regarding verification of thumb prints.

He said a summary would be forwarded to the caretaker government to seek expenses needed for the exercise.

“We have assured our complete cooperation to the commission,” he said.

He added that the verification of thumb prints would cost Rs 10 to Rs 15 per vote.

He said the cost of the software and hardware would be borne by the federal government, while the cost of approximately ten to fifteen rupees per vote would be borne by the candidate.