NID services will remain with EC

The interim cabinet has sanctioned the Election Commission (EC)'s proposal to retain the National Identity Card (NID) services, reports bdnews24.com.
On Thursday, at an event in the Election Building, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said: "We had sent it [Wednesday], and it has been approved today."
He also commented that this was the fastest approval by the cabinet.
The current National Identity Registration Act, 2023, will be repealed and reverted to its previous state to retain the National Identity Card services under the Election Commission.
The government will now have to promulgate an ordinance to repeal the Act and reinstate the previous law.
The Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) organised a rice cake festival at the Election Building, attended by CEC Nasir Uddin, four commissioners, and Election Reform Commission head Badiul Alam Majumdar.
The CEC said, "When the National Identity Card services were being transferred to the Ministry of Home Affairs, I found out through the media. As a senior citizen of the country, I then thought that it was not being done for any noble purpose."
Regarding the recommendations of the Election Reform Commission, he said: "We will respond after reviewing the recommendations."
Badiul Alam said, "We have recommended a legal framework to ensure that the Election Commission can perform its duties properly in the future and to prevent the recurrence of past events."
He added that specific proposals have been made to ensure that corrupt elements and those guilty of crimes against humanity cannot participate in elections, in order to keep the electoral process free from corruption.
Badiul Alam claimed according to the surveys of his commission, 90 per cent of the people have expressed their preference for local government elections before parliament elections.
Election Commission officials said in 2023, the previous Awami League government passed a law to transfer the NID operations from the Election Commission to the Public Security Department under the home ministry.
The notification of the law titled 'National Identity Registration Act-2023' states that this operation will be managed under the Election Commission until it is taken over by the Public Security Division. Accordingly, the NID services are still under the Election Commission.
Following the collapse of the Awami League government, advisers to the interim government, civil society, and the public have been demanding that this operation remains under the Election Commission.