The committee formed to look into the lost passports and travel documents as well as irregularities in the issuance of such papers submitted its detailed report to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha today.

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had formed a six-member probe panel in April based after reports that hundreds of passports and travel documents had vanished from the ministry. The media had also pointed at the issuance of fake passports and travel documents on the basis of citizenship cards.

 

The probe panel has concluded that MoFA and its Central Passport Office have no option but to issue passports and other travel documents in the name of persons, who produce authentic citizenship cards.

 

“We have to issue passports or travel documents if people possessing authentic citizenship cards approach us,” said a committee member. “Authorities concerned should be careful while issuing citizenship cards if we are to control forgery in the issuance of passports and travel documents.”

 

The report has suggested invalidating all handwritten passports as one of the ways to bar the misuse of old passports. It has urged authorities to be exercise caution while transferring staff tasked with passport protection and keep an up-to-date record of passports for the effective management of the passport store.