National

MRPs for expatriates in 7 days: Kamal

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal today said Bangladeshi citizens abroad would receive their Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) within maximum seven days.“The government would send the MRPs to Bangladesh missions abroad within two to three days through FedEx for quick delivery,” he said this as the chief guest, while addressing Passport Week at the Immigration and Passport Office in the city.Asaduzzaman Khan said the Department of Immigration and Passports signed a contract with the Federal Express, a global courier service, for quick delivery of passports.Director General of Department of Immigration and Passports and Managing Director of Federal Express signed the contract on behalf of their respective sides.The minister said Bangladeshi nationals abroad usually receive their MRPs in two to three months after submission of their applications, as the passports were sent by diplomatic bags. Reading police verification and harassment of passport seekers, the minister said verification for passports by Special Branch (SB) is necessary, but harassment should be stopped.He said the government has undertaken initiatives to stop harassment along with online verification process for quick verification.Apart from this, Bangladesh has taken steps to launch e-passport service to curb corruption in making passports, the minister said.Source: BSS