LAHORE, Dec 31: The National Database and Registration Authority has formally handed over the Machine Readable Passport project to the immigration and passport department.

Briefing journalists here on Friday, Nadra chairman Salim Ahmad Moin said the authority had also handed over the MRP printing facility to the department with a capacity of 6,000 passports per day.

Some 70,000 MRPs have been printed so far, he said. "With the handing over of the printing facility, the immigration and passport department has assumed full control of the MRP project."

It may, however, be mentioned that the MRP is being issued to citizens from the last week of October only from five centres - Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar. The machinery has yet to be installed at the remaining 23 passport offices across the country.

The chairman said all Pakistani banks and financial institutions were utilizing the online verification system (VERISYS) and, at present, it has been activated at more than 201 locations.

"Nadra has so far issued 41.96 million computerized national identity cards (CNICs). It receives about 25,000 applications per day for the processing of CNICs across the country," Mr Moin said.

He said the authority's database had the data of more than six million Pakistanis, including minors. Its 200 Swift Registration Centres across the country had been facilitating the citizens in getting their CNICs processed in a hassle free manner, he added.

The chairman said some 34 new mobile wagons were being included in its fleet to facilitate rural population. He said Nadra was the only government sector organization which had hired more than 8,000 IT professional, thus creating employment opportunities in the country.

Nadra had activated automatic finger identification system (AFIS) to eliminate duplication and forgery of CNIC, Mr Moin said. This system could check one fingerprint against seven million on its existing database in just one second, he said, adding that it had enabled the authority to detect ghost applicants.