DHAKA: The authorities have decided to issue machine readable passports (MRPs) without police verification in the upcoming days, said competent sources at Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP).

A high level meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s Office on February 12, discussed about the matter relating to issuance of passports without police verification, said the sources.

International Relation Affairs Advisor to the Premier, Dr Gowher Rizvi presided over the meeting while officials of the DIP and Special Branch (SB) of Police were present.

Most of the officials present at the meeting opposed the long-practised police verification processes citing the people’s sufferings.

Some of SB officials however opposed the idea of scrapping the verification system saying “dishonest people trying to flee the country will also get passports, if there is no verification procedure in obtaining passports”.

The sources quoted a DIP official as telling the meeting that “getting a passport is the right of a citizen no matter whether s/he is honest or dishonest.”

“If a citizen has right to get a national identity card, right to vote, s/he also has right to obtain a passport without any condition,” the official was quoted as saying.

His argument was that passport is not a person’s character certificate. Rather, it is a kind of national ID and the police verification is like harassment to the passport applicant.

“So all should be given passport without verification,” he said.

At the end of the hour-long closed door meeting, Dr Rizvi favoured withdrawing the verification process, which would require several months.

Earlier in September, 2012, the Home Ministry proposed for machine passports (MRPs) without verification to “bring the police harassment, especially the scope of bribe to a halt.”

The Special Branch at that time, too, strongly opposed the proposal arguing that it was against the government’s existing policy.

BDST: 1650 HRS, APR 13, 2014