Kathmandu, July 14
Former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ came under fire on Thursday for not attending a symposium on national security.
Participants at the symposium pointed at their absence and said national security should be above party politics.
Speaking at the symposium, which had the Ministry of Defence and the National Security Council as the organisers, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli expressed sadness at the absence of former PMs Deuba and Prachanda, who are also chiefs of major parties — the main opposition Nepali Congress and the CPN-Maoist Centre.
Along with Deuba and Prachanda, the organisers had invited Speaker Onsari Gharti and RPP-Nepal, partner in the Oli-led ruling coalition. But they all chose to give the symposium a miss.
PM Oli said absence of former prime ministers, who also head major political parties, at the meeting is a matter of concern. National security is a common concern for all political parties, Oli said, stressing the need to come up with a common stance on the important issue.
Former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai also expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of Deuba and Prachanda at the meeting. National security is associated with national interest and sovereignty, they said, adding: The tendency of taking such an important issue through partisan lens is indeed sad.
