Nepalis living abroad will have voting rights: Minister Saud

Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud said that as the United Nations is a common forum for all big and small countries, Nepal would participate accordingly.

Minister Saud, who arrived in New York to participate in the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations, was welcomed and honoured by various organisations in the US. In the programme organised in his honour, the minister said Nepal was trying to share the experience of bringing the peace process to a logical conclusion with the world.

Addressing the programme organised by the Janasamparka Samiti of America, a sister organisation of the Nepali Congress, he said the incumbent government was at work to create an environment for Nepali people abroad to return home. “Not only your knowledge, skills and capital, but the government is always ready to join hands in the process of building the country.”

The minister requested that since the non-resident Nepali people elect the leadership through the democratic process, and only the united and strong organisation elected that way can represent the Nepali people living abroad, the non-resident Nepali people should work according to this spirit.

He has given his theoretical consent to the letter sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs to give voting rights to Nepali citizens living abroad, he mentioned. He informed that some reforms were being initiated in the organisational structure of the Ministry to address the problems including passports and visas of Nepali people living abroad. Requesting the non-resident Nepalis to take the democratic culture, customs and behaviour achieved here in a democratic country like America to Nepal, he said, “I request you to take the practice of the process and system that you have adopted here in a developed and democratic country to Nepal.”

In another context, he said in the past, Nepal’s foreign policy was sometimes tilted to the right and sometimes to the left based on ideology and principles, but now efforts were being made to bring it to a natural basis according to natural principles.

At the event, former minister Jitendra Dev and the President of the Janasamparka Samiti Aananda Bista put their views.