KATHMANDU: Lawmakers of various parties, especially those from the opposition, on Friday quizzed Deputy Prime Minister duo Bimalendra Nidhi and Krishna Bahadur Mahara over their recent visits to India and China respectively.

Members of the International Relations and Labour Committee of the Parliament had questioned the DPM duo as well as the Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat why the government needed to send the special envoys to the neighbours while the situation was normal here.

The House panel in its meeting today had summoned Nidhi, Mahara and Mahat to discuss the recent visits made by the duo as special envoys of the Prime Minister recently.

In response, they reiterated that the visits were made in order to strengthen bilateral ties with both the neighbours and prepare grounds for soon-to-be-held top-level visits.

The opposition lawmakers had also urged the ministers to make a letter reportedly handed over by Nidhi to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal public claiming it was against the spirit of national independence.

In response, Nidhi said the letter was just an acknowledgement to Modi for congratulating Dahal and it had updated the Indian PM about Nepal's political developments.

He, however, refused to make the letter public claiming it was sent by a PM to his counterpart.

Meanwhile, the meeting directed the government to further strengthen diplomatic relations with the neighbouring countries on the basis of Constitution of Nepal, principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Panchasheel.

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