Kathmandu, August 21
Prime Minister Balen Shah’s secretariat has been making efforts to keep details of his visits outside Kathmandu away from public attention.
The secretariat has generally not issued official information about the places Prime Minister Shah visits outside the capital or the people he meets during such trips.
Even after reports emerged that Shah would travel to Mustang via Pokhara, his secretariat did not provide information about his stay in Pokhara or his schedule there.
Shah left Kathmandu for Pokhara by road on Friday morning. The identities of the people accompanying him have also not been made public.
When contacted for confirmation about the prime minister travelling to Pokhara by road, a member of his secretariat told Onlinekhabar that the information could not be disclosed for security reasons.
“It is not possible to say whether the prime minister travelled to Pokhara by road or air due to security reasons,” the official said.
However, despite citing security concerns, a video showing a convoy of vehicles carrying the prime minister and security personnel was seen in Dhading on Friday.
The prime minister’s visit to Pokhara and Mustang had not been formally communicated even to the chief district officers of the two districts.
Mustang Chief District Officer Ajita Sharma said she learned about the prime minister’s planned visit through the media.
“We have been hearing since yesterday that the prime minister is coming to Mustang, but no formal information or programme schedule has reached us,” Sharma said.
Kaski Chief District Officer Kuman Singh Gurung also said he had not received any formal information, despite the place where Shah will stay in Pokhara having already been decided.
“We are also learning about it through the media. No formal information has arrived. Since the prime minister himself is coming, information will certainly come,” Gurung said. “We have learned that he is coming by road. We expect to receive other information as well.”
Annapurna Eco Village in Dhital Astam of Machhapuchchhre Rural Municipality, Kaski, has reportedly been booked for Shah’s stay. According to sources, all rooms at the resort have been booked.
However, security agencies said they had not yet received formal information about the prime minister’s visit.
The prime minister’s secretariat had similarly withheld information about his accommodation during his three-day stay in Chitwan during the RSP’s first general convention. Shah stayed at Lattauli Century Resort in Shaktikhor, Kalika Municipality-9, where 16 rooms were reportedly booked.
In the past, information about prime ministers’ visits was routinely shared with the press and the public.
However, the Prime Minister’s Office and the secretariat have increasingly withheld information about visits that would ordinarily fall within the scope of public information, including details about their purpose and schedules.
