All major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Thursday continue to highlight the indecisiveness of Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee over whether to endorse or reject Chief Justice nominee Deepak Raj Joshee. Meanwhile, a member of the panel has claimed that she received a death threat from people mobilised by Joshee as her party was preparing to reject his name; and this issue has also received a significant attention on the front pages of Nepali newspapers.
Nepal’s first one day international cricket match against the Netherlands has also become a talk of the town today though the Rhinos lost to the hosts.
Few other contemporary political, socioeconomic and cultural issues have been featured on the front pages of major newspapers today.
Important
Lawmaker faces death threat over CJ nomination delay
Snippets in Kantipur, Rajdhani and a detailed story in The Himalayan Times inform that Nepal Communist Party lawmaker Niru Devi Pal, also a member of the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee, has reported a death threat over the delay in decision about the nomination of new Chief Justice.
After Pal reported security threats to the chairman of her Committee Laxman Lal Karna and Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara, members of the Committee have been provided with personal bodyguards mentioning ‘security sensitivity’, according to the reports.
The Himalayan Times, quoting Pal herself, informs that a man approached her at around 8:15 at Thapagaun in Baneshwor while she was running an errand on Tuesday evening. The man brandished a gun at her threatening to kill her. “The man pushed me against a wall in the narrow alley and threatened to shoot me if I am screamed,” the newspaper quotes the lawmaker.
Stakeholders say parties held judiciary hostage
Annapurna Post and Naya Patrika report that the judiciary has been held hostage by two major parties—Nepal Communist Party and Nepali Congress—as differences between them have left the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee indecisive over the nomination of Deepak Raj Joshee for the position of Chief Justice.
Naya Patrika says the ruling side is trying to manipulate the Committee as a puppet whereas the main opposition is also blocking the decision making as it is protesting the ruling party’s preparation to reject Joshee.
Annapurna Post quotes constitutional and legal experts to argue that the delay in making a decision about the new Chief Justice might adversely affect people’s faith in the judiciary.
Meanwhile, the lead story of Nepal Samacharpatra claims that the NCP is trying to block Joshee from getting the promotion as he did not comply with a gentlemen’s agreement the party had with him about a case filed against Oli government’s decision to scrap political appointments of the previous government.
Nepal lose to Netherlands in debut ODI match
Nepal got defeated in their first one day international match against the Netherlands on Wednesday and most newspapers have published reports about the match with photographs on their front pages.
Naya Patrika says Nepal lost to the hosts by 55 runs as they could not perform well in the second innings. However, Gyanendra Malla made a remarkable contribution to the team as he scored half century. Meanwhile, The Himalayan Times reports in its lead story that skipper Paras Khadka among some other players shone bright in the first innings.
Despite the defeat, skipper Khadka feels privileged to kickstart a new chapter with the two-match limited over series, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Ignored
‘Europeans interested to invest in Nepal’
Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has claimed many European countries have expressed their desire to invest in Nepal thanks to the establishment of political stability in the country, reports Gorkhapatra in its three-column story.
As the Minister returned home from his weeklong trip to various European countries, he told journalists at the Tribhuvan International Airport yesterday that the governments and people in the countries were interested to make investments in energy, infrastructure and agriculture sectors, according to the report.
OPMCM launches probe against haphazard foreign trips
A three-column story in Annapurna Post reports that the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers recently launched an investigation into foreign trips of around 1,5000 government staff suspecting many of them violated the government’s travel rules.
Spokesperson at the Office, Binod Bahadur Kunwar, has told the newspaper that the investigators will study the sources of their expenses, their activities and achievements during the trip, and their hosts among others.
Interesting
Govt launches campaign to establish lactation rooms
Kantipur reports in its anchor story that the Department of Health Services under the Ministry of Health has launched a campaign to establish lactation rooms in various public places of the country so that lactating mothers can breastfeed their children easily.
The first of such facilities was inaugurated at the Department itself on Wednesday.
According to the Department, at least 30 such rooms will be established within next one year.
