JEDDAH, 15 April 2005 — The Pakistani Consulate in Jeddah is all set to issue machine-readable passports (MRP) to Pakistanis residing in the Kingdom.
The new passport will eliminate any chance of forgery, said Manzoor Akhtar Malik, director-headquarters at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports here Wednesday. He said the new passport will give Pakistanis more confidence when they travel abroad because they will no longer be viewed with suspicion by foreign immigration authorities.
Malik said the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) introduced Standard Operation Procedures (SPOs) which now regulate travel across the world. The ICAO procedure will be applicable to all nations. “In future, none will be allowed to travel without MRP.”
Pakistan is a member of the UN and we have a part to play in global issues. If we follow rules and standards set by the international community, it will go in our favor. The document we made is in line with SPOs, he said.
Speaking about the MRP features he said it has one machine-readable zone, one bar code, and RIFD (Radio Identification Frequency Device) chip. All information regarding the person will be displayed on the computer screen when the immigration official checks the passport. About the bar code thumb impressions, he said, the picture and all information related to the passport will be read through bar code reader.
The machine will pick all information from the bar code. All information will be on one page of the MRP.
These are security features that will strengthen the authenticity of the passport. Embassies can also easily verify the passport at the time of issuing visas, he said. Chances of duplicating a passport has also been eliminated as no information will be written by hand. The profession column has been eliminated because it has caused problems in the past. MRP will be issued soon after installing the machine, said Malik without giving a date.
“Our MRP won UN recognition that put us third in the list of best passports in the world after the United States and Malaysia. More than 30 countries have implemented this system,” he said. The government of Pakistan has not yet decided to do away with manual passports, he said. MRP will replace the manual passports in phases, he added. A top NADRA official Capt. Adeeb Z. Safvi added that no new passport would be issued unless the person shows his new digital identity card.
Consul General Masood Akhtar said consular teams will keep visiting different areas of the Kingdom and issue manual passports until arrangements for issuing MRP are put in place.
