Bangladeshi-British nationals now can be registered online for National Identity Card (NID) or the Smart Card from abroad as Bangladesh High Commission (HC) in London has inaugurated the concerned formal registration in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland, reports BSS.
The inaugural event was held at the Bangladesh High Commission in London on Wednesday in presence of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nural Huda, according to a press release of UK’s Bangladesh mission received on Friday. Bangladesh High Commissioner for the United Kingdom and Ireland Saida Muna Tasneem also spoke on the occasion, it added.
At the special initiative of Bangladesh High Commissioner Tasneem, the UK has become the first among the western countries from where Bangladeshi expatriates can have their registration done online to get NID card. The CEC said Bangladeshi-British nationals now can be registered online for NID cards from their home. Upon verification of their information, the applicants will be advised to come to the Help Desk at the high commission or embassy to provide their finger prints and IRIS, he said.
Subsequently, the CEC said, the NID cards will be given to the eligible applicants through the Help Desk of their respective country, which will be opened in due course. He said the NID cards will be given within the shortest possible time on completion of all necessary procedures by using the latest technology.
Tasneem said the NID registration was inaugurated in the UK in accordance with the Vision for the Digital Bangladesh of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “This is a gift from the Prime Minister to the Bangladeshi-British citizens at the beginning of the Birth Centenary Celebration of Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman”, she added.
The High Commissioner said that the Bangladesh High Commission in London will be observing a “Mujib Borsho Special Consular Week” from March 23, 2020 as the high commission wants to handover the first batch of NID cards after receiving those from the EC.
She said following a request of the Bangladesh High Commission, a delegation from the EC visited some major cities in the UK, including London, Manchester and Birmingham, in July last year for a feasibility study on launching of the NID registration programme here, and finally, the registration of NID for the Bangladeshi-British nationals began.
“We had made a commitment last year to start NID registration in the UK; and this commitment was fulfilled with launching of the process”, the High Commissioner said, and thanked the CEC and the EC for their strong support to bring this very important service to the doorsteps of the expatriate Bangladeshis in the UK.
Election Commissioners Rafiqul Islam, Kabita Khanam and Brigadier General (Rtd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury and EC Senior Secretary Md Alamgir also spoke on the occasion through a video conference from the EC Bhaban in Dhaka.