Biratnagar, June 10

Acting Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwor Pokharel today said the government could not interfere in matters of the Public Service Commission — a constitutional body — in its act of recruiting employees for local levels.

When asked about the Parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance Committee’s directive to scrap the Public Service Commission’s hiring process, Minister Pokhrel held that the government could not intervene in matters under the jurisdiction of the constitutional body.

Talking to mediapersons at Biratnagar airport, Pokhrel reiterated that the government could not and should not interfere with the PSC’s work, which is abided by the law of the land. “It is absurd to interfere with the PSC when it has already forwarded the process of appointing employees for local levels constitutionally,” he added.

Pokhrel argued that the PSC’s move of opening vacancies for hiring employees for local levels was logical as it would take a long time to set up the PSC at the provincial level. He reasoned that the PSC’s decision was constitutional. “PSC will appoint employees at the local levels on the basis of proportional and inclusive theory,” he noted. He clarified that the central office of the PSC would appoint employees for local levels until PSC offices were established at the provincial level.

On the Media Council Bill tabled in the Parliament by the government, Pokhrel said discussions would be held on the bill and important suggestions would be incorporated in the bill. “The bill does not have any point that restricts the media. It is useless to talk about gagging the media in democracy. But, media should be regulated and systematised,” Pokhrel said.

Pokhrel made it clear that his party had not held discussion on the issue of two party co-chairs KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal becoming prime minister by turns. “The two leaders might have made a gentlemen’s agreement. But everything has a process and limitation,” he added.