Himalayan News Service

Dang, July 2:

A central committee member leader of the Communist Party of Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UML), Shankar Pokhrel, has said that press freedom is a must for democracy. Pokhrel made this remark while inaugurating the third district convention of the Press Chautari Nepal in Ghorahi, the district headquarters of Dang. The CPN-UML leader said journalism in Nepal was passing through a very difficult phase. “We should accept that several mistakes were made during 12 years after the restoration of democracy,” he said, stressing the need to move ahead by winning the trust of the people. Political parties have won over the King psychologically, he said, adding that they will win the trust of the Nepali people one day.

“Journalists are launching a movement across the country,” Bal Krishna Chapagain, the central president of the Press Chautari Nepal, said, adding that the movement will continue until press freedom, which was hijacked by the government, is restored. The convention has elected a new body under the chairmanship of Sagar Pandit. Narayan Biwas, Durga Lal KC, Prabal Regmi and Sabin Priyashan are the vice-president, secretary, treasurer and the joint-secretary of the newly-formed committee.