Nepalgunj, October 26:

President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Dharmendra Jha today lashed out at the government for using journalists as the means of contact to hold dialogue with armed outfits operating in the Tarai.

Speaking at a programme organised by the FNJ Banke district chapter here today, he said,

“Mediapersons should not be employed to bring the armed outfits to the talks table.” “They could be used for such purpose only in a systematic way,” he said.

“If the talks failed, who would guarantee the journalists’ security?” Jha asked.

“The government has not asked the FNJ to mediate for the talks. If the government formally asked us to help bring the armed groups in the talks table and facilitate the dialogue process,

we are ready to lend support,” Jha said.