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Nepal urged to take up matter
KATHMANDU, JUN 23 -
Senior leaders of political parties on Wednesday visited Kantipur Publications and said the prime minister should resolve the issue of the blockade of 1,000 metric tonnes of newsprint imported by Kantipur Publications which is being held at Kolkata port for the last 26 days.
They said Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, as the head of the government, should take immediate measures to resolve the issue, urging that the longer the crisis persists the harder it will be to iron out differences. They asked the government and India to resolve the row at the earliest and ensure press freedom.
CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, Vice President of Nepali Congress Ram Chandra Poudel, Vice Chairman of UCPN (Maoist) Baburam Bhattarai, senior UML leader K. P. Oli and Congress Spokesman Arjun Narsingh K.C. visited the Kantipur complex and called on the editors and the management. Leaders of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum and Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party also expressed solidarity with the Post.
After a meeting with the management and the editorial team, UML Chairman Khanal said there was no reason for the blockade of the newsprint and termed the incident ‘regrettable.’ “Nepal and India enjoy very good relations and Nepal is a country which should be allowed free transit facility from India. I urge the government and authorities concerned to intervene in the matter to smooth the issue of the release of newsprint immediately,” said Khanal.
Poudel said the government should shoulder the responsibility of resolving the issue immediately. “The government and the Foreign Ministry should take up the issue,” said Poudel. Bhattarai said, “The incident is much more serious than what was reported in the newspapers. I noticed this after a meeting with the management of the publications. It has invited a serious concern of our party.”
As a sovereign country, Nepal has the full right to enjoy transit facilities without hiccups as per prevailing international laws and treaties, he added. “It is a case of direct intervention into our sovereign right.” During his meeting with the management team and editors at the publications, Oli said, “We should keep our national interest and dignity at the core while dealing with and sorting out with such incidents. It should be settled through dialogue,” he said.
Govt in motion
KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Information and Communications has officially taken up with the Ministry of Commerce the issue of holding back of newsprint imported by Kantipur Publications. “I formally asked about the matter and enquired of my colleague Rajendra Mahato, Minister for Commerce and Supplies as to what can be done in this regard,” said Information and Communication Minister Shankar Pokhrel. “I also spoke to the management of Kantipur Publications and took stock of the incident,” he said.
Posted on: 2010-06-24 08:01
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