Dhaka plans NID cards for all Bangladeshi expatriates
All Bangladeshi expatriates living abroad would eventually be able to cast their votes generally speaking elections from overseas.
This is because the country's independent Election Commission plans to issue National Identity (NID) cards to Bangladeshi expatriates in at least 40 countries within the next five years. To start with, the NID services will soon be rolled out in five-six countries -- Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and the united kingdom, a top official said, reports UNB.
"We'll visit the 40 largest host countries of expatriates in phases next five years. We'll initially start the NID services in 5-6 countries," Brig Gen Saidul Islam, the Director General of the EC's National Identity Registration Wing, told UNB.
To use for an NID card, expatriates would have to attach six documents with the application form -- copies of passport and dual citizenship certificate or approval letter from the Bangladesh Home Ministry are the main requirements.
Along with these, a copy of the passport of another Bangladeshi expatriate identifying the applicant as a Bangladeshi, the statement of a blood relation residing in Bangladesh with name, mobile number and NID card copy, will be required.
Also needed are a declaration from the applicant they are not registered in electoral rolls any place in Bangladesh, and a certificate from the local Bangladeshi mission.
Through the pre-Covid period, the EC had started the online registration of Bangladeshi expatriates in four countries -- Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the united kingdom -- after CEC KM Nurul Huda and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed jointly inaugurated the overseas voter registration programme in Malaysia last November.
A complete of 738 expatriates from the four countries had also requested NID cards prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Of them, 530 online applications came from the UAE, 121 from the united kingdom, 48 from Malaysia and 39 from Saudi Arabia.
The Commission sent the applications to the respective Upazila or Ttana election offices to complete the verification process of the expatriates. But the EC cannot send the technical teams to these four countries to collect biometrics of the people because of the pandemic.
Now, the EC is preparing to send its technical teams to the four countries and also Kuwait to collect biometrics for rendering the NID services there to the expatriates, said the top of the NID Registration Wing. "The Commission will soon decide if costs should be charged for the NID services abroad. If yes, the Commission will also fix its rate."
Saidul Islam, however, said when the EC visited four countries to open online portals to render the NID services there, the expatriates had asked them to impose costs to keep better services.
The program for the introduction of the NID services in the 40 countries in addition has been incorporated in the Development Project Proforma of the Identification System for Enhancing Usage of Services (IDEA)-II as the tenure of the ongoing IDEA project will probably result in December next, said, an EC official.
In 2008, the Election Commission headed by ATM Shamsul Huda prepared the electoral rolls with photographs and provided laminated NID cards to the voters. In 2016, the EC headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad started providing smart NID cards to the voters. Now 137 agencies are availing the services from the NID database to ascertain one's identity.
