Kathmandu, Sept 5 – Lawmakers speaking at the House of Representatives meeting on Wednesday drew the government’s attention over various pertinent issues including violence against women, natural disaster and the proposed joint military drill among BIMSTEC states.
Seeking special time at the meeting, Bhim Bahadur Rawal said, “It was heard that Chief of Army Staffs from BIMSTEC countries held meeting in Pune of India. Even the issue of joint military drill was heard in the BIMSTEC which actually should not have occurred as it was the forum for the technical and economic cooperation. It was against country’s national interest.”
He however said it was a welcome job that BIMSTEC was held successfully.
“We need to consider national interest before the regional organization. We must not be swayed after the SAARC or BIMSTEC countries’ agenda, forgetting the national interest,” he underscored.
Similar view was expressed by Prem Suwal. Joint military drill is against country’s interest, he added.
Amaresh Kumar Singh questioned why a person was punished to death just because he/she had waved black flag to a Minister in protest. Such punishment does not strengthen democracy. “Government representatives are violating law,” he asserted.
Laxman Lal Karna also seconded Singh, saying that Ram Manohar Yadav from Bardiya was thrashed to death in detention merely because of displaying a black flag to a Minister. The Home Minister must furnish reply to this incident and even form a parliamentary committee to probe in it.
Indra Kumari Sharma reminded that the rape cases escalating in the country of late were badly besmirching the society, so its prevention was required.
Other lawmakers showed concern over landslides occurred in different places including Okhaldhunga and demanded compensation to the families of the victims.
Even the monkey menace in Hetauda, Dolakha and Parbat districts and the Pashupati area surfaced in the meeting.
Other lawmakers as Mahesh Basnet and Aman Lal Modi defended the government saying the opposition was only making negative comments.
Poland proposes joint military drill
Poland has proposed to hold a joint military drill for the capacity enhancement of the Nepali Army.
The proposal was made by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak before Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Iswar Pokharel, who is currently on an official visit to Poland. In response, Minister Pokharel said the Nepali government and Nepal army were ready to provide staff commando training, mountain warfare training and para basic training to Polish army, according to the DPM’s press coordinator Lokendra KC.
On the occasion, DPM Pokharel also requested the Polish government to ease the VISA application procedure for the Nepalis willing to travel to Poland. He urged the Polish government to resume the MBBS scholarship that it had been granting to Nepali students before 1993.
