Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda has said that the NID services should be in the hands of Election Commission.
The CEC made the statement while talking to the journalists at the Election Commission Building in capital's Agargaon on Sunday.
He said that no discussion was held with the EC about handing over NID services to the Ministry of Home Affairs' Security Service Division from the Election Commission. They have recently received a letter in this regard. However, they think that this service should be in the hands of the EC. Otherwise NID services might face some difficulties.
Earlier, officials and employees of the EC Secretariat met the CEC regarding the issue. They want the services of NID to be kept under the EC as it is now.
The CEC said, “The issue of transfer is still at an early stage. The transfer cannot be done just by issuing a letter. This is a complex procedure”.
He further said, “We think NID services should remain under EC as EC has prepared it on the basis of voter list. The Election Commission does not issue NID cards in any country. It is also right.”
He also said, "However, the situation in Bangladesh should not be compared to the other countries. There is no problem if the service remains under the control of EC. The EC is capable to provide this service properly. The EC secretary will try to discuss what the government thinks, at the cabinet level."
Earlier, after a meeting with the CEC, Nuruzzaman Talukder, president of Bangladesh Election Commission Officers Association, told the journalists that NID is a by-product of the voter list.
Transferring these services under the Ministry of Home Affairs will create complications between the national identity card and the voter list. The government may reconsider the decision.
The EC is conducting national identity registration activities at present. A letter sent from the PM's office to the cabinet this month said that this responsibility could be transferred to the home ministry's security services department. If the directive of the Prime Minister's Office is implemented, the home ministry instead of the EC will issue National Identity Card (NID).
