With the security situation in Iraq worsened by the continuing onslaughts of Islamic militants capturing one after another important area and resorting to violence and abductions, the Nepalis working in Iraq are obviously in danger. The reports of several Nepalis being abducted by militants along with people from other countries have heightened worries. There are an estimated 30,000 Nepalis working there, after having entered that country via circuitous routes mapped by clandestine agents. Nepal cannot stop people going via informal channels to various dangerous zones around the world in search of better economic opportunities Officially, there are restrictions on Nepali migrant workers going to Iraq because of security concerns, particularly after the brutal slitting of the throats of eleven Nepali workers there by militants several years ago. The Iraqi government has also imposed restrictions on foreign migrant workers. The government does not have any reliable data about how many Nepalis are in Iraq at the present time, or even how many have been abducted, or their status. The task has been made more difficult by the fact that Nepal does not have a residential embassy in Baghdad, but its embassy in Pakistan looks after Iraq affairs. Though late, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is showing concern about the fate of Nepalis there as sectarian violence becomes worse in Iraq, with the Iraqi government apparently looking unable to deal effectively with the militants on its own. A joint secretary is being sent to Iraq immediately with the mandate to talk to Iraqi officials, Iraq-based foreign diplomats and Nepalis there. To start with, this process could help come to a rough estimate of how many Nepalis are there in Iraq now, how safe they are, and what has happened to them. In view of the spreading violence, the best course would be to try to take Nepalis out to safety elsewhere and bring them back to Nepal. But this is still a highly difficult job as the Iraqi government does not control all of the country, with the militants running riot in a number of places. The presence of a Nepali official will help assess the situation better and do everything possible to get Nepalis out of danger. Nepal should also seek the help of other countries and organizations, as it has rightly written to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration for the use of their good offices to rescue trapped Nepalis. A number of workers, sensing danger, may already have crossed Iraqi borders for safety, and in this case, the help of Iraq’s neighbouring countries would be valuable. Some of the Nepali workers working there are reported to be without passports, and the Nepali embassy in Pakistan has already issued travel documents to twenty-five such Nepalis. Nepal should spare no efforts to rescue Nepalis from Iraq. But it cannot completely stop people going via informal channels to various dangerous zones around the world in search of better economic opportunities. Only raising awareness among Nepalis, particularly the youth, about the perils present in such danger zones and creating more job openings in the country would be particularly helpful. Need for restraint Hospitals in the country are frequently closed due to strife. Usually relatives manhandle the medical staff for alleged negligence in treatment of the deceased and even resort to arson, making it virtually impossible for the hospitals to operate. In the end those who suffer are hundreds of patients seeking treatment, some of whom require immediate medical attention. Despite assurances of providing the required security to the doctors and other medical personnel, this does not happen in practice. It is high time, therefore, that hospitals and clinics providing medical services were declared as zones of peace. There are also calls for declaring schools and other educational institutions as such zones. Meanwhile, if the patients are actually victims because of the fault of the medical personnel then stern action should be taken against the offenders. However, often emotions tend to run high and in the process acts of vandalism are carried out where on many occasions the physical infrastructure and expensive equipment of the hospitals are destroyed. There is a need to have better and effective provisions for security in the hospitals and clinics so that ugly incidents of violence can be averted.