If National Identity (NID) services are transferred from the Election Commission, it could lead to data breaches and other chaos, Election Commission Secretary Shafiul Azim has said.
Shafiul Azim has claimed that the decision to transfer NID services to the Ministry of Home Affairs was made without significant discussion with the Election Commission.
Commenting that it would be appropriate for the citizens' database to remain with a constitutional institution, the Election Commission secretary said: "The Election Commission has gained experience in this technical work over a long period. Now, if this database is handed over to another government agency mid-way, there could be breaches in data security, and chaos could arise."
He made the comments at his office in the Nirbachan Bhaban on Tuesday.
Explaining why the NID service should remain with the Election Commission, the secretary added: "The NID service is related to the voter list. The voter list, including photographs, is connected to this NID. The complete NID database is with the Election Commission. NID management is a technical task.”
When asked if the government had given any assurances, Election Commission Secretary Shafiul Azim said: "Our activities are ongoing. As for the queries... I am answering them. We also have to prove that we are providing good service.
“For this, we are bringing the field administration under various monitoring mechanisms. We believe the public should understand that the Election Commission is providing services accurately and efficiently without any confusion. We aim to provide 100% accurate, corruption-free, and prompt services — and we are working towards that. This will become evident in the future."
Shafiul Azim said that while legislation has been passed to transfer the NID services to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the process has not yet begun, leaving room for reconsideration.
He expressed concern that attempting to make such a transition overnight could lead to disorder, particularly given the large database and technically skilled personnel involved.
