IN a bid to tackle heightened concerns over the misuse of identity and identity documents, the government of Pakistan has implemented smart, machine readable radio frequency ID (RFID) passports and national ID cards, integrated with multiple biometrics. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has introduced state of the art machine readable passports (MRP) at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh, after its launch at the Pakistani Consulate in Jeddah. “After 2010, many countries in the world will not issue visas for manual passports. So I suggest acquiring the MRP in order to replace passports of the earlier format,” said Adm. Shahid Karimullah, Pakistani Ambassador, at the MRP issuance ceremony recently in Riyadh. The Pakistani Mission here issues over 8500 passports every month. It is estimated that the figure will double by 2010, when all manual passports will be replaced by MRP even if the former remains valid. Karimullah said the Saudi government stopped issuing visas for manual passports in 2007. “However, the period was extended after diplomatic efforts,” he said. Asghar Qureshi, the chairman of Qureshi Telecom and Constructing Company Ltd., was the first Pakistani in Riyadh to receive the MRP. “It is an honor. This is a good step to control corruption and passport scams which have blotted our country's reputation,” said Qureshi. “Many Pakistani expatriates living in remote areas here are visited by the Pakistani missions so that they can receive manual passports. During his visit to the Kingdom in November last year, Minister Rehman Malik had agreed to our proposal to introduce mobile vans to collect and save data for issuing computerized passports,” he said. He said Malik, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Affairs and Narcotics Control, Pakistan, had directed the Director General Passport and Immigration to urgently install a readable machine at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh. Pakistan is among the 80 countries of the world and the first in South Asia, to phase in new machine-readable traveling documents. The procedure of obtaining an MRP is simple, and is free of the hassles of submitting application forms and photos. An applicant must submit his Computerized National Identity Card/National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (CNIC/NICOP), along with his passport. The data is then entered into the computer. The candidate must deposit a fee at the counter and present his fee receipt and identity documents for issuance of a token. His photograph and digital finger prints are taken by an official. He should not wear contact lenses or glasses. The official then enters the data into an online record and conducts an interview to ensure the applicant's credentials. “An ordinary MRP will be delivered within 15 working days of registration, and the same is provided within a week if it is urgent,” said Jameel Khan, press consul at the Pakistani Consulate in Jeddah. He said an MRP is valid for 5 years, and that an ordinary MRP fee is SR158, SR301 for an urgently requested MRP, SR316 for a lost ordinary MRP, and SR602 for an urgently requested lost MRP. Endorsement of children in a single MRP is not valid as every individual has to get a separate passport. The parent's ID card is required for obtaining a child's passport. One of the parents must be present at the time of registration. A child applicant must have one of two documents: a computerized Child Registration Certificate (CRC/Form B) or a NICOP. If the applicant wants to change his name, date of birth, father's name, etc., he can apply for a fresh passport after updating his CNIC/NICOP. Machine readable passports have various benefits. With the integration of the MRP into automatic border control, authorities will now be able to check the menace of human trafficking. A database of both passport holders and passport seekers can be utilized for verification purposes. Moreover, paper hassles at designated passport offices can be avoided. – SGRequired documents for an MRP: Original and photocopy of CNIC / NICOP / CRC Original and photocopy of passport Original and photocopy of Iqama Original and photocopy of foreign passport (if any) __
