Kathmandu, July 13:

The Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) today handed its demands to the Interim Constitution Drafting Committee (ICDC).

The body has asked that the decisions made by the restored House of Representatives, including the declaration of a secular state and providing citizenship in the mother’s name should be included in the interim constitution.

“The interim constitution should ensure the use of mother tongue in education and government offices, ensuring lingual equality.” The statement, signed by NEFIN general secretary Dr Om Gurung has demanded that the nation be restructured and ethnic and regional autonomous regions be established with the right to self-determination.

NEFIN has also demanded Nepal should be an inclusive democratic republic. Indigenous people should get proportionate representation in all sectors of state mechanism, including policy and executive bodies and also in the Constituent Assembly (CA). NEFIN also wants that Nepalis over 16 years of age living in Nepal or abroad should be given the right to vote during the election to the CA and that the government should give reservations to Indigenous people in the education sector, government jobs and the army.

“Since no indigenous people has any faith in the monarchy there should not be any place for monarchy in the interim constitution,” it said.