Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has declared that police verification will no longer be required for obtaining a passport, emphasising that it is a fundamental right of every citizen.
Addressing the Deputy Commissioners' Conference on Sunday (16 February), he urged district administrators to ensure that such decisions are effectively communicated to the public.
“I am neither a thief nor a bandit—that is for the police to determine separately. My birth certificate was issued without police verification, as was my National Identity Card. These are my entitlements as a citizen,” Yunus stated.
Expressing concern over bureaucratic delays, he remarked, “We have enacted the law, yet its implementation has not reached rural areas. Meanwhile, we sit here making decisions. This gap must be bridged. There is no valid reason for such obstacles—people are subjected to unnecessary harassment. It almost seems as though harassing citizens is our national practice. This mindset must change. The government exists to serve the people, not to oppress them.”
The three-day Deputy Commissioners' Conference commenced on Sunday at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.
