Kathmandu, April 2

Nepali Christian community has taken serious exception to the government’s move to remove the Christmas Day (December 25) from the list of national holidays and grant leave to only Christian civil servants.

In the number of public holidays for 2073 BS (April 13, 2016 to April 13, 2017) fixed by the Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday, the government had scrapped Christmas as the national holiday and made it a holiday applicable only to Christian civil servants.

Issuing a press statement, the Federation of National Christian, Nepal today said, “The government’s decision, which ridicules basic norms of democracy and secularism and hurts the sentiments of minority religious group, has drawn our serious attention.”

It has also demanded that the MoHA roll back the decision at the earliest or face stern protest. “The government is trying to curtail the religious rights and freedom of minority religious groups. The twisted definition of secularism provided in the new constitution is also a testimony to this. The decision to limit Christmas holiday only to civil servants has dealt a serious blow to all Nepali Christians,” read the release.

The FNCN said it was in contravention of national and international laws and appealed to all Christians and other minority communities living at home and abroad to stand united and strongly protest the government’s move.