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NEPAL AMENDED CONTROVERSIAL CITIZENSHIP PROVISION MOTHERS NOW, AS WELL AS FATHERS, CAN PASS NEPAL CITIZENSHIP TO CHILDREN
Nepal - Leaders Commit to Amend Controversial Citizenship
Provision
KATHMANDU, JAN 12, 2025 - Top leaders of major political parties
have committed to change the and provision into or allowing either of the
parents to pass on citizenship to
their children.
A draft provision on citizenship ,
which is already approved by the Political Dialogue Consensus Committee (PDCC)
in the new constitution states that both the mother and father have to be
Nepalis for their child to be a citizen of the country.
The
leaders expressed their commitment in a meeting with a delegation of
campaigners, including political leaders and rights defenders on Monday at the
office of PDCC in Singhdurbar.
Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala,
CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
made the commitment jointly that the provision would be amended to
guarantee citizenship in
the name of mother as well.
PDCC chairperson Baburam Bhattarai said that the new
constitution would guarantee of issuance of citizenship s
to children through matrilineal descent. He assured the delegates that the
committee would start the process to change the provision.
Election
Commission chief Bhojraj Pokharel, former CA members Sapana Pradhan Malla
and Khimlal Devkota, chairperson of National Women Commission Sesha Chand Tara,
commissioner Manu Humagain, Chairperson of Sancharika Samuha, Nirmala Sharma,
senior mediaperson Babita Basnet, Chairperson of Maiti Nepal Foundation,
Anuradha Koirala and actor Karishma Manandhar met the major political leaders
at the office PDDC.
The
delegates met the leaders just ahead of PDCC meet, was facilitated by UCPN
(Maoist) Vice Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
"Mother has every right to pass on citizenship to
her child," Sapana Pradhan Malla quoted PM Koirala as saying. Oli said the
'and' provision was a mistake, which would be corrected.
Law
Minister Nara Hari Acharya, NC senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, NC Vice
President Ram Chandra Poudel, leader Sujata Koirala, UCPN (M) leaders Hisila
Yami were present when the top leaders expressed their commitment for amendment
to the provision of the draft bill.
Dahal said that his party already decided on the provision to
mothers or fathers to confercitizenship to
their children.
Though the Interim Constitution, the Citizenship Act of 2006 and
a Supreme Court directive of 2011 allow either of the parents to pass on citizenship to
their children, the new citizenshipdraft
bill in 2012 changed the provision, making it mandatory for a citizenship applicant
to produce the nationality proof of both the parents.
Rights activists and single mothers criticized the provision
calling it an discriminatory provision against women, undermining their
existence. The campaign for citizenship through
mothers gained momentum with youths staging protest in the Capital, while
Nepalis residing in Delhi, New York, Washington and Ottawa submitted over 2000
online signatures from over 50 countries demanding amendment to the provision.