Birgunj, February 25:

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Niranjan Thapa has said the government has given top priority to protection of human rights, consolidation of democracy and establishment of peace and order, and working to meet these goals.

Inaugurating a two-day long human rights awareness promotion programme for government officials organized by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs here today, Minister Thapa said human rights, democracy and sustainable development are intricately related with each other and that these values can prosper only in a peaceful society.

Stating that the scope of human rights has become wider, he said since human rights were interrelated, inter-dependent, universal and so fundamentally inalienable from humanity, it is very important for the state to decide as to which of these rights need to be recognised, given priority and protected.

Minister Thapa said that since the present politics and bureaucratic set-up is dedicated to the interest of the nation and the people, all the civil servants should accordingly fulfill their duties and responsibilities and become committed to the protection and exercise of the rights and privileges of the service recipients.

“It is the duty of every civil servant to protect the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, laws and the international conventions to which Nepal is a party to, and to ensure that the people would be able to experience these rights in practice,” he added.

The Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs said that it is the primary duty of all the Nepalese to internalize the contents of the King’s address to the nation on the occasion of National Democracy Day in which the King had said: “Let us listen to others, put across our views, do away with discord and enhance mutual understanding; let us consolidate peace and democracy.”

Secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Dr Kulratna Bhurtel said a study is being carried out on topics that need to be reformed and improved upon in Nepal’s laws in consonance with the provisions of the international human rights conventions.

He said the process is underway for drafting the crime and compensation laws on torture especially in tune with the convention against brutal, inhumane and disgraceful behaviour and punishment.

He said that Nepal has been investing the necessary means and resources and making administrative and other organisational arrangements as per the 20 conventions on human rights, nine International Labour Organization-related conventions and four Geneva Conventions on humanitarian laws to which it is a party to, Chief Judge at the Appellate Court, Hetauda Govinda Prasad Parajuli said that the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1990 has guaranteed the fundamental human rights to the Nepali people.