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President Bidya Devi Bhandari has called the main opposition CPN-UML leaders for a discussion. UML Vice-Chairman Subash Chandra Nembang said that the President called the leaders to hold a discussion on contemporary issues. “The President has called us at 5 pm for a discussion. The meeting will dwell on contemporary issues,” he said. According to a Sheetal Niwas source, President Bhandari called the UML leaders to discuss the Citizenship Bill. It has been learnt that senior leaders of the party will take part in the meeting. Earlier today, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had urged President Bhandari to authenticate the bill.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has urged President Bidya Devi Bhandari to authenticate the Citizenship Bill. He along with the Nepali Congress office bearers on Monday reached Sheetal Niwas to hold a discussion on the Citizenship Bill with President Bhandari. Earlier, the President had sent the bill, endorsed by both the houses, back to the Parliament with a 15-point message for reconsideration. But, the House of Representatives endorsed the bill without any change. Meanwhile, the National Assembly on Sunday sent the bill to the Legislation Management Committee of the Parliament for clause-wise discussion.  

Lawmakers have urged the government to ensure voting right of all Nepali citizens living abroad. Airing her views in a zero session of the Parliament today, Durga Kumari Bishwakarma said, “The government must ensure the right to vote of those eligible voters residing aboard during the time of voting.” She asserted that the government should build an atmosphere so that all eligible voters could cast their ballots without hurdles. Dila Sangraula Pant said women are able to compete in the direct election and political parties must ensure tickets for them in the HoR and PA elections. Dil Kumari was of the opinion of sorting out the citizenship issues soon while Deepak Prakash Bhatta called for an end to anomalies in the education sector. Narayan Prasad Khatiwada drew the government’s attention towards expediting road developments projects including the Pasang Lhamu Highway based in different locations in the country. Parbati Kumari Bishankhe demanded the implementation of a full proportional system in the voting of the HoR and PA elections scheduled for upcoming November 20. Prem Suwal apprised the session that Tribhuvan University was locked for 300 days in the past three years, drawing the government’s attention towards the addressing the problem. He also demanded prorogation of the parliament in aftermath of the election announcement. Dr Bijay Subha drew the government’s attention to taking efforts for reviving the Sajha Publication while Dr Pushpa Kumari Karna Kayastha, Parbata DC Chaudhary, Nawaraj Silwal, Dal Bahadur Rana, and Dibyamani Rajbhandari sought the government’s attention towards several contemporary issues including the control of price rise and corruption.

A group of conflict victims and human rights defenders handed over a memorandum to the UN Resident Coordinator Richard Howard on Monday. The letter was addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres alerting him to “multiple flaws” in the transitional justice amendment bill before Nepal’s Parliament. A copy of the letter was handed over for transmission to Michelle Bachelet Jeria, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The letter seeks the good offices of the Secretary-General to ensure necessary amendment of provisions that are perpetrator-friendly. It reminds the Secretary-General that the United Nations has been a meaningful partner in Nepal’s peace process, which makes it surprising that the respective Special Rapporteurs, the OHCHR and other UN entities have not publicly reacted to the transitional justice bill. Among other matters, the memorandum states that the transitional justice bill does not follow the directives of the Supreme Court of Nepal and violates international principles and practice on transitional justice. Issues related to differentiations made between ‘murder’ and ‘cruelly conducted murder’, coercion on victims for amnesty, provisions for reduced sentencing and absence of due process are some of the flaws mentioned. The absence of the issue of child soldiers in the bill, even though it has been so well recognized by the United Nations in the context of Nepal, is also mentioned as a grievous flaw. All in all, “the amendment bill is designed to provide de facto immunity to perpetrators of both sides (Maoists and state security personnel)”, states the letter. The letter states that “Nepali society is capable of developing a just, humane and realistic transitional justice process, one that will be exemplary at the international level. This is also why we hope that the United Nations will remain engaged on the matter.” The text asks the Secretary-General’s good offices to seek amendment to the bill as recommended by victims of conflict and human rights defenders. At the meeting, following presentations by victims’ representatives and human rights defenders, UN Resident Coordinator Richard Howard updated the gathering on the United Nations’ position and activities related to transitional justice in Nepal and said that the Organization remained committed to values inherent in the transitional justice process.