KATHMANDU, MAY 25

CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli today told his parliamentary party that the government of Nepal erred by allowing the United States' Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights and the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Uzra Zeya, to visit a Tibetan refugee camp in Nepal during her visit a few days ago.

According to UML Chief Whip in the House of Representatives Bishal Bhattarai, Oli told the parliamentary party meeting that Zeya's visit to a Tibetan refugee camp violated Nepal's established foreign policy rules.

'We have always pursued the policy of non-alignment. We always give priority to national interest and we always follow the policy of non-intervention. As we remain non-aligned in other countries' affairs, instigating Tibetan refugees on Nepali soil is wrong,' Bhattarai added.

Another UML leader Bhim Rawal said Oli told the meeting that the government made a mistake by stating in its policies and programmes that Nepal would generate and distribute its energy in accordance with joint understanding reached with India on power trade. Oli said the statement undermined Nepal's independence and sovereignty.

During Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's visit to India recently, an India-Nepal Joint Vision Statement on Power Sector Cooperation was issued.

According to Rawal, Oli said during the meeting that the statement on power generation and trade incorporated in the government's policies and programmes undermined Nepal's sovereignty.

UML Headquarters Secretary Sher Bahadur Tamang told mediapersons that Oli said the government failed to incorporate new vision or policies in the government's policies and programmes that were presented in the Parliament yesterday.

He said the policies and programmes did not launch any new projects and they misled the public.

According to Bhattarai, Oli said results of local level polls were not satisfactory.

'The party should prepare for parliamentary and provincial polls by becoming more organised and ideologically clear.' Oli instructed party lawmakers to put forth logical arguments against the government's policies and programmes.

A version of this article appears in the print on May 26, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.