KATHMANDU, AUGUST 16

The House of Representatives today ruled that the government should make arrangements to bring Nepalis stranded in Afghanistan back home as soon as possible.

Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota drew the attention of the government to Nepalis left in the lurch in the war-torn country, which was recently taken over by the Taliban.

'The HoR directs the government to manage the safe return of Nepalis stranded in Afghanistan,' Speaker Sapkota said. He further asked the government to provide the exact record of Nepalis and their situation in Afghanistan.

He asked the government to brief about the situation in the HoR's next meeting.

Lawmaker of ruling Nepali Congress Bharat Shah also made similar demands.

'It is the duty and responsibility of the government to approach the war-torn country through diplomatic means and help the stranded Nepalis as soon as possible,' Shah said.

Lawmaker Gokul Baskota of the main opposition CPN- UML also criticised the government for failing to reach its citizens in the country.

Baskota demanded a ruling from the speaker saying that the government had not responded swiftly though it was the chair of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

It is believed that around 1,000 Nepalis working in the 'Green Zone' especially in diplomatic offices in various capacities have been stranded there.

Department of Immigration data shows that a total of 164 Nepalis have come back to Nepal in the last 10 days after the tension escalated there. It is also known that around 350 Nepalis have reached Qatar's capital Doha today alone.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 17 2021, of The Himalayan Times.